Hisopathological Study of Healthy and Malformed Tissues of Mango (Mangifera indicaL.)

Abstract

Malformation is a serious threat to mango production in India and other mango growing countries (tropical and subtropical) of the world. The disease is widespread in flowers and vegetative shoots. It has a crippling effect on mango production causing heavy economic losses. Mango Malformation Disease is a fungal disease caused by Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans. Symptoms of the disease include loss of the apical dominance and swelling of vegetative buds, proliferation of leaves and flowers, phyllody and hypertrophy of panicle axes. Histopathological observations of malformed shoots and penical reveal occasional inter-and intracellular distribution of fungal hyphae in cortex, phloem and parenchymatous pith cell. Fungal mycelium has also been detected at the juncture of the shoot tip in malformed axillary buds, axes of petels and sepals of malformed buds, and in the degenerating embryos of mustard stage malformed fruits.