Wilt disease of castor: an overview

Abstract

Castor is an important non-edible oilseed crop with immense industrial value in the world. Though castor productivity in India is more than the world average, there are several production constraints in the rain fed castor growing areas among which diseases and pests plays a prominent role. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini is a most destructive disease and the pathogen is both seed and soil borne. The wilt appears in all castor growing states of India causing significant yield losses up to 80%. The disease affects the crop at all stages of crop growth starting from seedling to maturity stage. Reniform nematode associated with wilt disease. Among the management methods followed, host resistance is the cost effective approach to manage the wilt disease. The screening techniques are well developed and resistant sources were identified which gave path for the development of resistant castor cultivars. The information regarding the geographic distribution, economic importance, symptoms, nematode-fungus interaction, disease cycle, epidemiology, variability of pathogen, host–pathogen interaction, screening of castor germplasm for identification of resistant sources and management of wilt disease has been reviewed in this article.