WHAT IS DISEASE?

• “Sustained physiological and structural disturbances of living tissues and organs” • Ending
sometimes in DEATH

Classification of Disease

• Pathogenic: Caused by pathogens; fungi, bacteria, virus

• Non-pathogenic or physiological: Caused by adverse environmental factors

Mechanism

• Utilizing the host cell content • Causing death of cells; through its enzymes, toxins and growth
regulators. • Weakening of tissues due to continuous loss of nutrients • Interfering with
translocation

SYMPTOMS

• Symptoms are the apparent expressions of presence and progress of disease in the plant. Types
of symptom

• Systematic The entire plant exhibits symptoms of the disease.

• Localized The symptoms are restricted to particular plant parts.

Classification of Disease symptoms

• NECROTIC SYMPTOMS Death of certain parts and finally of the whole tree

Wilt

Drooping of the foliage and ultimately the death of plant or tree

• Pathological wilt When it is caused by some fungus • Physiological wilt due to deficiency of
moisture Canker

Definite, relatively localized necrotic lesion

• Cambium is repeatedly killed, cankers with stratified margin develop as a result of repeated
callusing • Death of the part of tree above the canker Decay

Decomposition of wood substance by fungi

• Fungi may attack dead or living tissues in tree • White rot or brown rot ATROPHIC OR
HYPOTROPHIC SYMPTOMS

Slowing down in the development

Subnormal cell divisions

• Dwarfing, yellowing

HYPERTROPHIC SYMPTOMS

• Either excessive cell division or abnormal elongation in cell size

• Galls, tumors Forest Disease Control

• One prime object of forestry is to grow crops free from disease and obtain profitable harvest. –
Forest crops are: Perennial, Rotation age of many, Low value per unit – Therefore, chemical
control measure of disease is limited only for nursery and plantation Forest Disease Control

• Direct measure:

• Sanitation

• Reduces or eliminates the initial inoculums

• Control by sanitation requires an early detection of the disease

• Cutting, thinning, felling

Eradication

• Heteroecious rust requires two hosts to complete their life cycle. Pine and swertia.

• Eradication of one of the hosts (weeds or unvalued spp.) by weedicides.

Isolation

Generally root disease is not spread through soil.

• Disease is mainly contaminated to adjacent healthy plants through root contact or root graft.

• Chemical control

• Expensiveness and side effects

• The use of chemicals in disease control is limited only for nursery

• Expensiveness and side effects

• The use of chemicals in disease control is limited only for nursery

Fungicides?

• A fungicide must have the characteristic to have desirable effect

 • Attack the pathogen at weakest point of its life cycle and non-toxic to the host at the dosage
used.

• Should not cause any pollution hazards to wild life.

• Should be long lasting even exposed to rain

 1. Diseases Of Sal

(a) Root rots disease

 Caused by Poliporusshoreae.
 It is capable of infecting healthy and uninjured root. It occurs on sal throughout its range
of distribution but damage is significant in high rainfall areas.
 They attack first at the distal end and progress up to the collar region.
 The infection goes from disease trees to healthy trees by root grafting.

Symptoms

 Tree start becoming top dry and completely dry later.

 Uprooted by wind.
 Tree may put forth epicormic branches.

Signs

 Funnel shaped soft sphorophore/basidiocarp may be formed on the exposed root part or
on the base.
 Control measures
 Control burning on wet sal forest.
 Moisture should be reduced.
 Dead, decayed and damaged trees should be removed.
 Trench can be prepared in effective site.

(b) Heart rot disease

 Caused by Hymenochaeterubiginosa.
 It attacks the trees through wound caused by fire and is reported to account for about 50%
of the total decay due to all causes in Sal.
 Incipient decay is characterized by a dark brown discoloration of the heart wood.
 Initially it causes heart rot in stem but later extends to main roots as well.
 Causes due to the forest fire, frost in coppice Sal forest.

Symptoms:

 branch/stem swelling
 wood discoloration.
 Crown thinning
 Start punk knotting & wounds.
 Wood becoming white & decaying.
 Sessile, corky & dark brown sporophore are seen.
Control measures

 Applying shelter wood system in frosty localities

 Forest fire can be minimized by controlled burning.
 Applying stool, to check from further coppicing where seedling crop is established
2. Diseases Of Khair

a) Root rot disease: -

Caused by Gandodermalucidum – It causes heavy mortality in Khair plantation raised after

clear- felling (estimated upto 45% in first 9 yrs.) - Spread out by old infected roots to new roots
Symptoms - Tree becomes yellow. - Appears white layers in between wood & bark region.
Control measures - Old root should be dogged out in plantation. - Isolation trenches 1.5m along
across the line including all diseased plant, can be dogged out to control infections. - Resistant
sps. likeSimal& Ailanthus can be planted with Khair as mixed plantation.

b) Heart rot disease –

Caused by Fomesbadius - Stem are injured by them. Symptoms

- Hollowing of bole. - Becomes yellow spongy after decaying - Appears ear shaped basidocarp
on branches & stem. Control measures - Affected trees should be regularly removed in markings
- Sporophores should be collected & burnt

3. Diseases of Deodar

a) Butt rot disease

1) Caused by Fomesannosus

2) Causes mortality in younger deodar whereas reduces in growth due to death of roots.

3) Established in new areas usually through basidospores and sometimes through conidia.

4) Freshly cut stump surface is highly selective for F. annosus.

5) Serious disease in extensive coniferous plantation.

Symptoms

1) Decay in roots may result in wind throw of trees.

2) Fungus produces on the root thin, white, mycelial sheets between the bark and the wood.

3) Fungus produces white pocket rot in the wood.

4) The perennial fruit bodies (sporophore) develop at the base of the tree. Basidocarpes are
produced in abundance.

Control

1) Silvicultural control

a) Mechanised plantation may be raised to eliminate disease inoculums where stumps and
residual roots are removed.

b) Seasonal thinning of pine plantation when temperature is lethal to Fomesannosus spores for
infecting stumps is a practical and effective means of controlling F. annosus.

2) Chemical control Chemicals like creosote, urea (20%) sodium can be used in chemical
treatment of freshly cut stumps in those areas where disease is not prevalent.

3) Biological control Innocuous fungus Peniophoragigantea can be used in inoculating stumps

to control fungus spreading.

b) Butt and trunk rot

1) Caused by Fomesannosus and Peniophoraluna.

c) Root and butt rot disease

1) Caused by Polyporustomentosa.

2) Causes rotting through injury caused by fire.

d) Witches broom

1) Caused by Peridermiumcedri.

2) The fungus attains young needles of the current year's shoot and makes them curve
backwards.

3) The affected needles are shed early and the foliage becomes thin giving the affected branches
appearance of Witches brooms.

Control

Systematic removal of affected branches and trees is the only remedy to keep disease under
control.

4. Diseases of (a) Abiespindrow(fir) (b)Piceasmithiana (spruce)

Fungus name : 1. Armillareamellea 2. Fomesfomentarius,F. robustus,F. pini 3.
Peridermicemthomsoni, P. picerae 4. Ceropsorapicerae

Disease nature : 1. Root rot disease 2. Heart rot disease 3. Needle rust

5. Diseases of Pinuslongifolia (chir)

Fungus name : 1. Cronartiumhimalaynese 2. Fomespini, F. pinicola, Ganodermaapplanatum

6. Diseases of Pinuswallichiana

Fungus name : 1. Fomespini (Trametespini)

Disease nature : 1. Heart rot

7. Diseases of Acacia catechu

Fungus name : 1. Ganodermalucidum 2. Fomesbadius

Disease nature : 1. Root rot 2. Heart rot

8. Diseases of Dalbergia sissoo

Fungus name : 1. Fusariumsolani 2. Ganodermalucidum 3. Uredo sissoo

Disease nature : 1. Wilt disease 2. Root rot disease 3. Leaf & twig rust

9. Diseases of Shorea robusta

Fungus name : 1. Polyporousshorea 2. Hymenochaeterubiginosa, Fomescaryophulli,

Fomesfastuosus

Disease nature : 1. Root rot 2. Heart rot

10. Diseases of Tectonagrandis

Fungus name : 1. Pseudomonas solanacearum 2. Peniphorarhizom-orphosulphurea 3.

Corticiumsalmonicolour

Disease nature : 1. Wilt disease 2. Root rot disease 3. Pink disease

11. Diseases of Santanum album (Sandal)

Disease nature : 1. Spike disease

12. Diseases of Eucalyptus hybrid

Fungus name : 1. Corticiumsalmonicolour 2. Ganodermalucidum

Disease nature : 1. Pink disease 2. Spike disease

NURSERY DISEASES (DAMPING OFF)

1. It is primarily a diseases of conifer seedlings although many broad leaved species may also be
attacked

2. Seedlings in large scale may be destroyed by

 Pre emergent blight

 Post-emergence mortality soon after germination
 Root rot in older seedlings

Symptoms

1. In pre-emergence, the emergent crop, sparse may be wrongly attributed to poor viability of
seeds.

2. In post emergence mortality, seedlings are attacked on the hypocotyl or on roots or both while
still in the cotyledon stage.

3. In root rot, fungal attack on succulent root tips in older seedlings and transplants is not usually
fatal. Excessive soil moisture or drought may cause root rot in seedlings.

Causes

1. This disease is caused by number of fungi which are normally soil saprophytes; but may be
pathogenic in unfavourable condition.

2. The most important fungi causing damping off in conifer seedlings belongs to Pythium,
Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora, Fusarium etc.

3. Damping off is favoured in clayey and wet soils because of anaerobic conditions in the rooting
zone and high temperature.

Control measures

1. Site should be selected with having light soil texture, acid soil (4.5 to 5.5 PH) and should be
located on well drained site.

2. Soil or seed bed can be sterilized by steam or fumigants. Chemicals like - Formalin, Methyl
bromide can be used two weeks before sowing seed.

3. Soil and seed can also be treated with chemicals. Fungicidal treatments may be useful for spp.
which have hypogeal germination. Capton, Thiride, Cuman, Blitox, Zinc oxide can be used as
chemicals.
Insects of sal (Sal Borer)

 About 148 insect pests attack Sal.

 Of these, the major devastating insect pest is Sal Heartwood borer, Hoplocerambyx
spinicornis belonging to the family Cerambyedeace.
 This beetle, popularly known as the longicorn beetle, is a dreaded woodborer.

Beetle

 The beetle is dark brown beetle in color, is about 2-6.5 cm in size and has long antennae
with spines at the corners.
 The beetles begin to appear annually with the start of Monsoon.
 Each shower of rain brings out a fresh lot of beetles.
 The sexual dimorphism is distinct.
 The antennas of male are relatively longer than the body while the female is shorter than
her body.
 The emergence is largely complete when the cumulative rainfall from first June in any
rainy season is about 900 mm.
 The maximum life span of beetle is 4 - 5 weeks.

Eggs

 Each female beetle lays 100-300 eggs, generally on the bark of the dead or dying trees
after the emergence.
 The eggs are white -creamed color.
 The egg laying is correlated with humidity.
 At 55% relative humidity, there is no oviposition.
 Increase in relative humidity enhances the number of eggs laid.
 The maximum eggs are laid at 91% humidity. (Beeson, 1941, Roonwal, 1978).
 The hatching takes place in 3-7 days
 The optimum humidity required for maximum number of eggs to hatch is 90-100%.

Larvae

 The white grubs hatch forms the eggs and feed under the bark.
 They soon enter the sapwood and finally the heartwood by the end of November.
 The larvae feed on sapwood throughout their life ravaging sapwood completely.
 It excretes a lot of wood dust that accumulates into heap near the base of the tree which
ultimately leads the tree to girdle and dry up.

Pupae

 It begins from February and continues till the month of April.

  After 2-3 weeks of pupal period.
 This borer has one generation in a year.

Control Measures

A. Preventive measures

 Maintain the stand density

 Control burning
 Avoiding the tree damage: Grazing and other biotic interference in sal forests should be
minimized as far as possible.
 Burning of debris and stumps after harvesting of trees.
 Sal timber depots should be away from the Sal forests.

B. Remedial measures

 Trap tree operation: few medium sized trees should be felled every year during the
monsoon (especially June- July) and their bark should be smashed. The fresh smell
attracts the insects from the distance of up to 2 kms.
 Cutting affected trees: Felling and removal of affected trees away from the sal forests
(identified by the large amount of yellow resin oozing out of the bark and heap of wood
dust at the base of the trunk).
 Stacking of infested timber in depots 5 km away from Sal forests
 Diseased or dying sal trees, wind-fallen trees, insect (borer) attacked, felling refuse, etc.
should be disposed off during winter-summer before onset of monsoon every year.