Diseases of Fruit Plantation Medicinal and Aromatic Crops

Stump rot

Causal organism: Ustulinia zonata (Lev.) Sac.

• It is prevalent in most of the tea growing areas.
• It attacks cocoa, coffee, rubber and other woody plants.
• The disease causes tea bushes to die in patches.
• The diseased bushes become dry as if suffering from drought.
• The leaves wither, turn brown and drop. Generally the bushes die slowly turning in to thin canopy due to fall of the leaves and sometimes they become suddenly dry with leaves intact.
• New shoots rarely arise from lower side once wilting sets in.
• The disease spreads to the surrounding bushes in wide circles.
• The roots do not show any external mycelium. Brownish or white mycelium with fan shaped fructifications can be seen when the bark is removed.