Diseases of linseed (Linum usitatissium L.) in India and their management - A Review

Abstract

In India linseed (Linum usitatissium L.) is grown mainly for seeds which has high industrial, nutritive andmedicinal value. Bast fibre obtained from straw which has an additive value. India ranks second in area butproductivity of crop is very low. One of the major factors affecting its productivity is diseases. The importantdiseases damaging linseed crop in India are mainly fungal, causing crop losses upto 80-100 per cent under epidemic condition. Rust (Melampsora lini Erenb), wilt [Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lini(Bolley) Snyder & Hansen], Alternaria blight (Alternaria lini Dey, A. linicola Groves and Skolko), powderymildew [Oidium lini Skoric, Leviellula taurica (Lev.) Arnaud] are the major ones. The minor diseases are Macrophomina/Rhizoctonica wilt/collar rot, Sclerotium stemrot, Pythiumdamping-off, Botrytis rot, anthracnose andDreschlera blight. The number ofseed bornemycoflora are more. Bacterial disease has not been reported and only tobacco leaf curl virus has been reported. Few nematodes viz., Rotylenchus reniformis, Tylenchorynchus brevidens, Meloidogyne incognita, M. hapla and Pratylenchus are known to be associated with root. A phanerogamic parasite, cuscuta also become a serious problem in certain areas. The paper deals with the diseases occurring, crop losses and management ofthe commerciallyimportant oilseed crop in India.