Diseases of Sesame

Alternaria leaf spot(Alternaria sesame)

Symptom

• The pathogen attacks all parts of the plant at all stages.

• Small, dark brown water soaked, round to irregular lesions, with concentric rings, 1-8 mm
in diameter appear on the leaves and under excessive atmospheric and soil humidity the
spot increases in size and number.
• The lesions may also appear on the midrib and veins of the leaves.

Control

• Grow resistant/tolerant variety like Krishna.

• Destruction of crop residues and weeds.
• Early planting i.e. immediately after onset of monsoon.
• Follow intercropping system of sesamum + sunflower (3:1).

Bacterial blight (Xanthomonas campestris pv. Sesami)

Symptom

• Plants of all stage are affected.

• Water soaked, small and irregular spots are formed on the leaves which later increases
and turn brown, under favourable conditions.
• Leaves become dry and brittle, severely infected leaves defoliate.

Control

• Crop rotation.
• Use resistant variety like T-58.
• Early planting i.e. immediately after onset of monsoon.
• Destruction of crop residues.
• Seed treatment with hot water at 52 o C for 10 minutes.

Bacterial leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae pv. Sesami)

Symptom

• Light brown angular spots with dark purple margin appear in the leaf veins.
• Defoliation and death of plant may occur in severe leave and stem infection.
• Sunken and shiny spots are appeared on the capsules.

Control

• Use white seeded early varieties.

• Crop rotation.
• Use resistant varieties.
• Destruction of crop residues.
• Seed treatment with hot water at 52o C for 10 minutes.
Cercospora leafspot / White spot (Cercospora sesami, C. sesamicola)

Symptom

• Disease appears as small, angular brown leaf spots of 3 mm diameter with gray centre
and dark margin delimited by veins.
• In severity of the disease defoliation occurs.
• Under favourable conditions, the disease spreads to leaf petiole, stem and capsules
producing linear dark coloured deep seated lesions.

Control

• Grow resistant/tolerant variety like TKG-21.

• Early planting i.e. immediately after onset of monsoon.
• Follow intercropping system of sesamum + pearl millet (3:1).
• Destruction of plant debris.

Corynespora blight (Corynespora cassiicola)

Symptom

• On leaves purple brown specks which develop into large spots.

• Infected leaves curl and defoliate.
• On stem, purple brown elongated lesions appears.

Control

• Destruction of weed and crop residues.

• Field sanitation.
• Early planting i.e. immediately after onset of monsoon.
• Follow intercropping system of sesamum+pearl millet (3:1).

Damping off / Root Rot (Macrophomina phaseolina)

Symptom

• The fungus attacks young seedling, their stem become water soaked soft and incapable
of supporting the seedling which falls over and dies.
• On older seedlings elongated brownish black lesions appear which increase in length and
width girdling the stem and plant dies.

Control
 • Crop rotation.
• Provide good drainage.
• Late planting.
• Inter cropping with moth bean (1:1 or 1:2).
• Destruction of diseased plants.

Phytophthora blight (Phytophthora parasitica var. Sesami)

Symptom

• Disease can attack at all stages of the plant.

• Initial symptom is water soaked spots on leaves and stems.
• The spots are chestnut brown in the beginning later turn to black.
• Premature leaf fall occurs.
• In humid weather, severity of disease increases, main root is affected, diseased plants
are easily pulled out leaving lets and cortex behind, and produce shriveled seeds and
gives blighted appearance.

Control

• Follow two year crop rotation.

• Deep summer ploughing.
• Provide good drainage.
• Late planting
• Use resistant tolerant varieties like TKG-22, TKG-55 and JTS-8.
• Intercropping system, sesamum+pearl millet(3:1) should be followed.
• Destruction of crop debris.
• Rougue out diseased plants.
• Soil amendment with biological control agent like Trichoderma harzianum and
Trichoderma viride or seed treatment with T. Harzianum/ T. viride / Bacillus subtilis
(0.4%)

Powdery mildew (Oidium sp. Sphaerotheca fudiginia, Leveillula)

Symptom

• Small cottony spots appear on the infected leaves which gradually spread on the lamina.
• Defoliation of severely infected plant occurs before maturity.
Control

• Field sanitation.
• Destruction of crop residues.
• Early planting i.e. immediately after onset of monsoon.
• Follow intercropping system of sesamum + pearl millet (3:1).
• Use resistant variety RT-127
• Destruction of crop residues and alternate hosts.

Sesame phyllody (Phytoplasma like organism)

Symptom

• All floral parts are transformed into green leafy structures followed by abundant vein
clearing in different flower parts.
• In severe infection, the entire inflorescences is replaced by short twisted leaves closely
arranged on a stem with short internodes, abundant abnormal branches bend down.
• Finally, plants look like witches broom.

Control

• Delay in planting of sesamum about 3 weeks after onset of monsoon.

• Use intercropping system, sesamum + pigeon pea (1:1).
• Use resistant varieties.
• Provide plant spacing.
• Destruction of diseased plants.

Stem and root rot (Rhizoctonia bataticola & Macrophomina phaseolina)

Symptom

• The affected plants show wilting.

• At ground level stem becomes black which extends upward rupturing the stem.
• Black dots appear on the infected stem which are the pycnidia of the fungus.
• If wilted plant is uprooted, black coloured roots are observed having sclerotia of the
fungus and looks as if charcoal is sprinkled on the root.
• The roots become brittle.
• In diseased plants black pods are seen which open prematurely exposing shriveled and
discoloured seeds.
Control

• Deep summer ploughing.

• Provide good drainage.
• Late planting.
• Do crop rotation or change the field after every two years.
• Follow intercropping system sesamum + mothbean 1:1 or 2:1 ratio.
• Whenever necessary, irrigate field every two weeks to avoid stress condition.
• Use resistant varieties.
• Destruction of crop residues.
• Soil incorporation of biological control agents like Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma
viride.
• Treat the seed with T. viride or T. harzianum or Bacillus subtilis (0.4%).

PESTS:

Whitefly Dialeurodes pallida Aleurocanthus nubilans

A.rugosa
(Aleyrodidae: Homoptera)

61 : Adult whiteflies
 Serious pest in eastern and north eastern regions of India . In
Assam , peak infestation is noticed during April-July, while in
West Bengal peaks occur in August and November.

Adults have pale yellow body with red eyes; moth - like with white
waxy powdery coating over the wings and body (61). Nymphs are
oval, pale yellow.

Nymphs and adults suck sap from lower surface of leaves resulting
in pronounced chlorosis. Sooty mold develops on honey dew
excreted by the insects.

Spraying with NSKE or monocrotophos is effective.

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Whitefly

(Bemisia tabaci Gen.; Aleyrodicus dispersus Rus.)

• Whiteflies are polyphagous pests and occur as an occasional pest of chillies.

• The young ones and adults suck the sap while remaining on the ventral leaf
surface.

• Due to continuous feeding chlorotic spots appear which later coalesce, leaves
become brittle and drop prematurely.
• Honey dew excretion results in sooty mould development.
• In severe cases, leaf fall may occur.

Biology

• Whiteflies are moth-like tiny bodied insects, with transparent waxy wings dusted
with milky white powder.
 • The female lays 200-300 eggs. In case of the spiraling whitefly A. dispersus, the
eggs are laid in spiral manner. Incubation period ranges from 3 to 5 days.
• Four nymphal instars are present, the IV instar is the Puparium.
• The nymphal period lasts for 9 to 14 days and the pupal period 2-8 days.
• The life cycle is completed within 11-21 days.
• About 12-15 overlapping generations are completed within a year.

Alternate Host

• It breeds and feeds on over 300 cultivated and non-cultivated hosts. The important
among them are cotton, brinjal, tobacco, sunflower, bhendi, tapioca etc.

Natural enemies

• Several species of aphelinid parasites play a major role in suppressing the

population build up; the important ones are
• Eretmocerus mundus and
• Encarsia sp.
• Among the predators the
• phytoseid mite, Amblyseius sp,
• lacewing bug Chrysoperla spp, and the
• coccinellids Brumus sp,
• Scymnus sp are the important ones.

Management

• Avoid the alternate, cultivated host crops of white fly in the vicinity of chillies
crop.
• Growing chillies only once a year either in winter or summer season in any
chillies tract.
• Adopting crop rotation with non-preferred hosts of white fly such as Sorghum,
Ragi, Maize to check pest build up.
• Removal and destruction of alternate weed hosts like Abutilon indicum,
Chrozophore rottlari, Solanum nigrum and Hibiscus ficulensus from the fields
and neighbouring areas and maintaining field sanitations.
• Timely sowing with recommended spacing, preferably wider spacing.
• Judicious application of recommended dose of fertilizers, particularly nitrogenous
fertilizes and irrigation management is essential to arrest excessive vegetative
growth and pest buildup. Late sowing may be avoided and crop growth should not
be extended beyond its normal duration.
• Field sanitation may be given proper attention.
• Cultivation of most preferred alternate host crops like brinjal, bhendi, tomato,
tobacco and sunflower may be avoided. In case their cultivation is unavoidable,
plant protection measures should be extended to these crops also.
• Monitoring the activities of the adult white flies by setting up yellow pan traps
and sticky traps at 1 foot height and also in situ counts.
 • Collection and removal of white fly infested leaves from the plants and those,
which were shed due to attack of the pest and destroying them.
• Cypermethrin, Fenvalerte and Deltamethrin cause resurgence of white flies.

Chemical control

• If 5 - 10 white flies / leaf (ETL) are observed, application of

Early stage

• Methyl demeton 25 EC 500 ml or

• Phosphamidon 85 WSC 300 ml/ha
• (500 lit. of spray fluid/ha) and spraying

Mid and late

• Phosalone 35 EC at 2.5 lit. or

• Quinalphos 25 EC at 2 lit.
• (1000 lit. spray liquid/ha),
• Ethion 50 EC 1.0 lit./ha
• Monocrotophos 36 WSC 1.25 lit./ha
• Triazophos 25 EC 2.0 lit./ha
• Acephate 75 SP 1.30 kg/ha
• Plant products namely Neem Seed Kernel Extract 5% (50 kg) and Neem oil at 5
ml/ lit. or fish oil rosin soap 25 kg at 1 kg in 40 lit of water may be sprayed
individually or in combination with the recommended dose of insecticide (at 2 ml/
lit. of water) and is found effective when sprayed in high volume sprayer or spray
5% extract of Notchi leaves or Catharanthus rosea extract.
url: http://www.krishisewa.com/disease/dsesa.html

Description: Disease control in sesamum.

Use of 10-15 kg/ha of 10 G Phorate and 1ml/ha metasistoks in soil before sowing
can control Phyllody in semamum.

2-3 spray of 3 kg coper oxychloride per ha controls the Phytopathora blight ...