FAO Plant Protection Bulletin - Some Diseases of Sugar Cane Newly Found in India

Oct 13, 2026

Notes on sugar cane diseases newly recognized in India document two main problems: rust caused by Puccinia kih-nii and grassy shoot disease of variety Co.419, along with additional discussion of ratoon stunting suspicion. The bulletin traces rust emergence, outbreak history, spread across Indian regions, and germination conditions, including limits in current life-history study. It further outlines transmission routes, taxonomic observations of teleuto-stage presence, and practical control guidance such as crop replacement and hot-water seed cane treatment.

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Some Diseases of Sugar Cane Newly Found in India

Rust

Grassy Shoot Disease

Ratoon Stunting

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# FAO Plant Protection Bulletin ## Some Diseases of Sugar Cane Newly Found in India R.S.VASUDEVA Division of Myeology and Plant Pathology,Indian Agrioultural Research Inatitute,New Delhi THE present notes record some diseases ofI sugar cane which were not previouslyknown to exist or not recognized as of anyeconomie importance in India. ## Rust Sugar cane rust,caused by Pwooinia kih-nii(Krueg.)Butler,is assuming increas-ingly greater importance since its first re-ported oceurrence in India in 1950.1 Al-though rust-affected specimens of sugar canewere deposited in the Herb.Crypt.I nd.Orient.of the Indian Agrieultural Research Instituteas far back as 1918,the disease was consideredto be of rare oecurrence until 1950,when itappeared in a serious outbreak in Ahmednagardistrict of Bombay,affecting a very promis-ing commereial and popular cane variety,Co.475.The disease manifests itself in theform of small elliptie,brownish to tawnycolored,innumerable pustules,causing theleaves to wither and,in ease of severe infec-tion,hindering the development of the erop. On account of the recurrence of thisdisease each year,the Bombay Departmentof Agriculture has now,on the advice of theIndian Central Sugareane Committee,with-drawn this susceptible variety Co.475 fromgeneral cultivation in spite of its excellentagronomie performance. The rust was also reported to occur onvarieties Co.876 and Co.928 in Nellikuppamarea in Madras on the east coast and on Co. 475,Co.421,Co.467,Co.603,Co.658,Co.732 and P.O.J.2878 in Hyderabad-Deceanarea on Peninsular India.The rapid spreadof the disease to other localities and othercommercial varieties of sugar cane is causinggreat concern to sugar industry. So far the disease in an epidemie form wasconsidered to be confined only to the canetract in South India,appearing late in theseason during the cooler months-Octoberto January.But during the present seasonin 1956 &sudden epidemic was observed inFebruary in northern India at Gola Goka-rannath,Uttar Pradesh,near the foot-hillsof Nepal,affecting a recently released eanevariety,Co.S.510,which occupies an areaof over 5,000 acres.The disease first ap-peared on the October-planted erop and hasnow spread to the seedlings of the crop newlyplanted in February and also to the ratoonerop.The attack wa880 severe that thebadly affected fields gave the appearanceas if the crop had been burnt. Uredospores of this rust fungus havebeen found to germinate freely in water·within 12 hours over a wide range of temper-atures,from 160 to 290 C.,the optimumbeing at 200 to 2500.It has not been pos8ibleto germinate the teleutospores and the lifehistory of this fungus has not been workedout so far. From taxonomie point of view the Indiancollections of this rust have been of specialinterest as they show the presence of theteleuto-stage on sugar cane.The originaldescription of teleutospores of Pucoinia kih-nii was based upon a collection on Saccharum8pontaneum and the only other record on its Figure 1.Grassy shoot disease of sugar cane voriety Co.419. production of teleutospores on sugar eane wa8from Formosa. Rust infection of several wild species ofSaccharum and related genera,such asSaccharwm aara,8.narenga,8.8pontaneum,Erianthus arundinaceum and Solerostachyafusca,has been reported from India but noneof those collections have been found to infectSaccharum ofieinarum,indicating thereby the pos8ible existence of physiologie racesof the rust. Grassy Shoot Diseuse This new disease is characterized by theproduction of a large number of thin,small,spindly shoots,giving the plant a bushyappearance.The growth of the plant isarrested and the shoots remain very smalland grassy(Figure 1).The disease is foundonly in the cane variety Co.419 in Bombay- Decean area.Externally it has some resem-blance with the disease eaused by Seleroph-thora macrospora and the Australian dwarfdisease of sugar eane,but it is quite distinctfrom either.The disease is systemic andis perpetua

FAQs

What rust disease is described, and what are its visible effects on sugar cane leaves?

Sugar cane rust, caused by Puccinia kih-nii, forms numerous small brownish to tawny pustules, leading leaves to wither and severely hindering crop development.

How is grassy shoot disease of sugar cane characterized and how is it transmitted?

Grassy shoot disease produces many thin, small, spindly shoots and arrests plant growth, leaving a bushy, grassy appearance; it is perpetuated through infected seed cuttings and can be transmitted by aphids and by mechanical means.

What measures are suggested to control grassy shoot disease and what concern is noted afterward?

Hot water treatment of seed cane material at 50°C for two hours reduces the disease appreciably. The bulletin notes that secondary infection requires careful attention.

Oct 13, 2026

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