RSD, RED ROT AND WILT DISEASE
MANAGEMENT
Ratoon stunting and red rot are the two major diseases of sugarcane responsible for yield decline and running out of varieties respectively. While the ratoon stunting disease can be controlled through moist hot air treatment of seed cane, the control of red rot continues to baffle the sugarcane scientists all the world over. Actually red rot is cancer of sugarcane and no effective method for its control is available yet. Most outstanding and popular varieties in India have gone out of cultivation due to this disease in the past. All chemical control measures including use of systemic fungicides have failed to control the disease.
However it is possible to contain this disease, or partially control it, if integrated red rot management programme is followed. This program consists of cultivation of resistant varieties, use of new technologies of disease free seed production like polybag and tissue culture, implementation of three tier seed programme. Moist hot air treated breeder seed should be obtained from research stations and foundation and certified seed nurseries raised in the field from this seed. There should be total replacement of seed in the field with the seed thus produced every five years.
RATOON STUNTING DISEASE MOIST HOT AIR TREATMENT UNIT