Present Scenario of Betelvine or Paan (Piper Betle L.) Diseases and Their Management

Abstract

Betel vine (Piper betle L.) is basically a plantation crop that belongs to the family Piperaceae. Betelvine plants are evergreen, dioecious, perennial climber, and cultivated for its leaf. Betel vine is a shed-loving plant and originated from Malaysia (Chattopadhyay and Maiti. 1967. Diseases of betelvine and species. New Delhi: ICAR). Betel vine is known by different names in India and abroad. In India, Betel vine is known as Paan in Hindi and Bangala, Tambula in Sanskrit, Villayadela in Kannada, Vettilakkoti in Malyalam, Vettilai in Tamil, Tamalapaku in Telugu, Videch-Paan in Marathi, and Nagarbel in Gujarati. Historically, the word Paan in Hindi and other Indian languages is probably a derivative of the Sanskrit word Paan meaning leaf. In foreign languages, it is known as Burg-e-Tanbol in Persian and Tanbol 28in Arabic. Betel vine is cultivated in many countries, namely Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, and India. In India, this plant is commercially cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.), Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh. Betel vine is a rich source of vitamins A and C, 21 essential oils, alkaloids, arecoline, etc. Besides this, it is supposed to be a tonic for the brain, lever, and heart. The leaves of this plant are used for chewing traditionally from ancient times. It is also offered after lunch and dinner and also during other social gatherings. In fact, no Hindu religious ceremony is complete without Paan. The yield of leaves of betel vine is highly reduced due to the occurrence of several fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases. Leaf rot disease and leaf spot disease caused by pathogens, Phytophthora parasitica and Colletotrichum capsica, are the major constraints for the cultivation of the crops across the country (Goswami et al., 2002). Some of the important diseases encountered in betelvine plantation are discussed in this chapter.