R. BEENA KANIMOZHI, C.R. MAGESH AND R.S. DAVID PAUL RAJ
Abstract
The fungal pathogen Pythium spp. of the class oomycetes causes damping-off and root rot disease. It infects shrubs and trees in their seedling stage or early stages of development and even after their germination. Diseases caused by Pythium spp are one of the major problems in raising tree saplings in forest nurseries. Around 50-60% seed loss was spotted in the economically important tree species grown in the forest nurseries because of damping-off and root rot disease caused by Pythium spp. Thus the economic loss resulting from nursery disease is a silent serious threat which is left unnoticed. In order to suppress this pathogen in a user-friendly approach, combination of Biological control and induced disease suppression is introduced. This is an effective way to treat the disease management compared to chemical fungicides.