Introduction to methods of disease appraisal & crop loss assessment :

To assess the incidence of diseases of crop & relating to subsequent losses interims of yields & money is a difficult problems but the measurement of losses as accurately as possible is essential for the following reasons. a) It avoid non judicious use of control measures b) It convinces the grower about economics of control measures & enable him to use them at reasonable cost c) It induces the scientists & research workers to concentrate their efforts on finding out suitable control measures including new fungicides. d) It helps industry to undertake development & use of fungicides & also undertake othe rmeasures of control of the diseases. The strategy of loss apprisal involves two distint phases 1. Mesurement of diseases incidence & severity and its correlation with loss. 2. assessment of diseases in surveys of no. of fields in a particular dist or Tal. By assessment methods. For the measurement of the diseases intensity of the crop the following knowledge is of atmost important a) Kowlege about growth stage & morphology of crop b) Course of diseases development c) Keys for diseases assessment. The diseases measurement varies accoding to the nature of diseases usually diseases intensity is measured in the % percentage. However theprecent doesnt properly gives the idea of losses to diseases.

SSM55 The main categories of diseases damage are : i) ii) iii) The whole palnt is killed or redered unproductive ex. Damping off, root rot , wilts,viral infection of inflorances. Localized parts of the plants are affected, ex. Leaf tissue, fruits, earhead. The diseases out breaks persist over several seasons as incanse of soil brone plant pathogens. For measuring the plant diseases the percentage of plants infected as well as the severityof plant infection should be taken into accoutne. i) Recording the% of diseased plant e.g. damppingoff, root rots, wilts, here the % infection direction directly related to the % loss in yield. ii) Recoriding the % of diseased parts e.g. Ergot,smuts, the total no.of earhead infected is directly proportionate to the loss of yield. iii) Precent of diseased tissue : In some leaf spots & blight development the % disease area affected differes form plant to plant, it such eases the % infection of crop plant may not be accurate for disease assessment henc ethe observations are combined with the severity for such diseases percentage scale & standard scale diagrams of diseases intensity are use. Assessment system of using precenoage scale relating to loss of host tissue or area convered by pathogen has been developed for assessment number of crops with the diseases affected. Assessment system using percentage scale developed by Briths

Mycological society 1947 for measurement of late blight of potato is given below. Late blight key ( BMS 1947 ) Blight % 0 0.1 1.0 5.0 25.0 Nature of infection No diseases observed Assessment few scattered plant blightened no more than 1 or 2 spots in 10 meter radius upto 10 spots per plant About 50 spots per plant: upto 1 in to leaflet infected . Narly everyleaflet infected, but plants retaining normal form-plants may smell of blight,

Blight % Nature of infection 50.0 every plant affected and about 50 % of leaf area is destroyed Field papers green, flecked with brown. 75.0 about 75% of leaf area destroyed field appears Either predominantly brown not green 100.0 All leaves dead stem dad or dying. Assessmet dey for cereal rus virulence in wheat Symbols Host parasite interaction 01 oc On Immune : no visible sings of infection Highly resistant minutes flecks. Highly resistant, imnutesxs necrotic flecks.

1 2 3 4 X i) ii) iii)

Resistant : small pustules with necrotic surrouding tissue. Moderately resistant, mediuim sized pastules with nectrotic surrou nding tissue Moderately susceptible edium sized patuleswith chloratic surrounding tissue. Susceptible large pastuleswith little or no chlorosis Mesothetic reaction : mixed reaction type on onoe leaaf The lower & upper limits of the scale are well difined The scale is flex ibel & can be divided and subdivided conveniently It is univarselly known and can be used for recording incidence % . Such scale had been developed for assessment large no. Of pathogens like Helminathosoporium truism, Powdery mildew diseases Downy mildew diseases, Rust, etc. Formula for calculating % infection index. % infection index = Sum of all diseases rating Total no. of X Maximum rating diseases grade

Generally % scale has many advangages.

ex. Calculate the % diseases infection in blast of paddy on the basis of following data. Total no.of leaves observed for infotioin = 200 SSM57 - . - - . - -. --. -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . Sr.No. % oeaf area Grade No.of leaves disease rating Covered in athe grade ( Sum of diseases ( rating ) ( rating )

- . - - . - -. --. -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . 1 0 0 75 00 2 1 1 10 10 3 10 3 20 60 4 25 5 50 150 5 50 7 15 75 6 More than 9 5 45 50% - . - - . - -. --. -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . -- . 200 340 Sum of diseases rating = 340 Total no.of rating = 200 9 Max . diseases grtade =

% infection index

= =

340 200 * 9 34 18

X 100 X 10

18.88 %

The overall index of assessment district can be obtained by using formula = field rating class x NO.of heacters in class Total no. of hectares.

Crop looss assessment : Meadurement of losses The object is to co-relate diseases severity to reduction in the yield. The stage at which the loss is calculated is of the prime importance. Ex. For loose smut of wheat (where the loss of ear head is directly proportional to loss in yield ) The loss due to disease is calculated at heading stage. In each field 50 plants / esq. area are taken at random The percentage infected ear heads of these plats 5 calculated & yield loss estimated according to formula, Pr Loss = 100 = Pr where Pr = Percentage infected ear heads Pa actual yield. Ex. For stripe diseases of barely ( Helminthosporium germanium Sample crop at growth stage heading to ripe at random through an area of 4.4 x 0.4 m. count the no . of fertile & infected tillers calculate the %-infected tillers. In loss relationship : % loss = % infected losskg /ha % infected Xyield kg /ha X pa