Standardization Of Culturing Techniques For Cephaleuros Parasiticus Karst The Causal Organism Of Red Rust Disease In Tea Plants

Abstract

Tea Camellia sinensis is an aromatic beverage prepared from newlineyoung succulent tea leaves The altitude and mountain mists help shield newlineagainst too much sunlight and provide the proper temperature and humidity to newlineallow the leaves to develop slowly and remain tender There are two main newlinevarieties of the tea plant The small leaf variety known as Camellia sinensis newlinethrives in the cool high mountain regions of central China and Japan which is newlinecultivated largely in India The moderate leaf variety known as cambod newlineC assamica grows well in moderate temperature with rainfall is extensively newlinecultivated in southern India newlineTea plant like other agricultural crops is prone to attack by newlinediseases The symptoms of a disease can vary between minute changes in newlineappearance to death of the whole plant When compared to all the tea newlinediseases leaf diseases result in severe crop loss and directly affect tea quality newlineRed rust disease of tea is known for over 40 years in India the disease has newlinebecome a major problem only in recent years Infection occurs both on the newlinemature and young leaves of the plant the former being more serious than the newlinelatter The disease is called algal leaf spot algal fruit spot and green scurf newlineRed rust disease is caused by an algae Cephaleuros parasiticus It newlinecauses severe damage to leaves when compared to the stem by attacking leaf newlinetissue in patches This results often in defoliation of mature leaves newlineCephaleuros has a wide range of host such as tea coffee citrus cocoa and oil newlinepalm Since all these are commercially important and also increased incidence newlinewas observed in these crops study on Cephaleuros is found to be of prime newlineimportance The leaf infection is of little direct economic importance but it is newlinesevere as an inoculum for the stem infection The infection is a yellowgreen newlinepin point in the early stages usually on the upper side of the leaf occasionally newlineon the lower side of the leaf newlineInfection mainly occurs soon after the rainy season as the zoospores newlinethat are produced abundantly during the entire rainy season are washed away newlineby fr