Indian Phytopath.

55 (2) : 173-177 (2002)

Diseases of ginger and their control with

Trichoderma harzianum
P.P. RAJAN1,

S.R. GUPTN,

Y.R. SARMN

Ginger Disease Task Force Laboratory,

and GVH.

JACKSON4

Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim 737 102

ABSTRACT: Ginger (Zingiber officina/e Rosc.), is the second most important cash crop of Sikkim. Diseases
are important production constraints and often associated with Ralstonia (Pseudomonas)
solanacearum,
Pythium spp., Fusarium
oxysporum
and Praty/enchus
coffeae. Pathogenicity
experiments
conducted,
showed the involvement of Pythium sp (soft rot), Fusarium oxysporum (dry rot) and R.solanacearum
(wilt)
and also noticed that, Praty/enchus
coffeae increased the severity of infection along with F.oxysporum.
From the indirect pathogenicity
experiments, the specific chemicals, targeted to particular pathogens
ensured the involvement of different pathogens as well as effectiveness of chemicals on control of ginger
was diseases. A biocontrol agent, T.harzianum, isolated from Sikkim was found effective in control of ginger
diseases substantially.

Key words: Pythium sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Ralstonia solanacearum,

fungicides, nematicide,

Trichoderma harzianum

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.), is the second

most important cash crop of Sikkim, after large
cardamom and is widely grown by small holders
on about 4500ha. It is cultivated as a monocrop or
as intercropped with maize and mandarin orange.
Production of ginger in this hilly state is hampered
by different diseases and pests. During the crop
season, foliar yellowing and wilting are more
conspicuous and at the time of harvest, dry rot
and rotten rhizome are noticed which reduce the
market value of the produce and makes it unfit for
seed purpose. Diseases in the field were often
associated
with Ralstonia
(Pseudomonas)
solanacearum Smith (Yabuuchi), Pythium spp.,
Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. and Pratylenchus
coffeae (Zimmerman) Filipjev & Schu.Stekh.

For correspondence: raL 15465@yahoo.com;

rajanpp35@hotmail.com
1.3

Involvement
of Fusarium oxysporum
with
rhizome rot of ginger in Queensland was reported
(Teakle, 1965). In India, Fusarium yellows has
been reported from Madhya Pradesh (Haware and
Joshi, 1973) and Presence
of Meloidogyne
incognita and Pratylenchus coffeae in ginger yield
decline has been reported by Kaur et al., 1989.
Present study was undertaken to study the
effect of different ginger pathogens on severity of
disease in Sikkim. Different pathogenic fungal and
bacterial
cultures,
isolated
from different
agroclimatic regions of Sikkim were tested for their
virulence and used for pathogenic studies. A
number of antagonistic fungal and bacterial Isolates
were obtained from different parts of Sikkim and
screened against ginger pathogens. One isolate of
Trichoderma harzianum was found most promising
from initial screening which was mass multiplied
and tested against above-mentioned
pathogens,
in pot culture.

Indian Institute of Spices Research,

Calicut 673 012

2

Department of Horticulture, Govt. of Sikkim,

24 Alt Street, Queens Park, NSW 2022, Australia

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Different ginger pathogens viz; Pythium sp.,
Fusarium oxysporum and R.solanacearum were

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Indian Phytopathology

isolated from infected ginger. For isolation of

Pythium, P10VP (Tsao and Ocana, 1969), for
Fusarium oxysporum, Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA)
and for R.solanacearum, selective medium (TTCKelman,1954)
were used. Pythium
sp., F.
oxysporum and R.solanacearum were purified and
stored in PDA slants. Pratylenchus coffeae was
isolated from ginger rhizomes
with dry rot
symptoms. Cortical tissues were collected from
nematode infested area as peelings and blended
with the help of a mixer. The ginger tissue
suspension was passed through nematological
sieves (100 and 400) and kept for extraction.
Nematodes were collected and washed with sterile
distilled water 4 times to avoid other contaminants.
To avoid bacterial and fungal contamination,
nematode suspension was passed through 0.1 %
mercuric chloride and streptomycin solutions and
washed 4 times with sterile distilled water. The
sterile nematodes were cultured on carrot callus,
incubated at 20C for one month and used for
inoculation. The fungal pathogens were mass
multiplied in potato - dextrose broth, while the
bacterium R. solanacearum
was multiplied in
nutrient agar (Hi-media).
Two month old ginger plants grown in plastic
buckets containing sterile soil, were inoculated
with respective pathogens. Before the application
of pathogens, upper layer of soil (around the collar
region) was removed. For fungal pathogens, the
mycelial suspension (CFU = 23 x 104/ml for Pythium
and 28 x 104/ml for Fusarium oxysporum) was
applied at the collar region @ 75ml/pot and for
bacteria, R.solanacearum suspension (CFU= 1.3
x 10B/ml) was applied at the collar region @ 30ml/
pot and covered
with soil. For nematode
inoculation,
nematodes
were applied @ 200
nematodes/pot.
Wherever the combinations of
different pathogens were used, equal quantity of
each inoculum was used. For each treatment 8
replications (eight pots with 3 ginger plants in each
pot) were maintained in Randomized Block Design
(RBD). For comparison, eight pots with 3 ginger
plants each were maintained as control. All the
pots were irrigated daily with boiled-cooled water.
Infected seed lots were collected from field and
presence of all four pathogens was confirmed by

[Vol. 55(2) : 2002)

the methods already described. Before planting,

the seed lots were treated with different chemicals
like Ridomil Mancozeb-WP, carbendazim (Bavistin),
copper oxychloride (Fytolan) and phorate (Thimet).
Seed )pieces were treated with the chemical
solutions
for half an hour and for phorate
(nematicide) treatment, 15g of phorate granules
were applied on the surface of seed pieces, by
gentle mixing seed with phorate. The remaining
granules were added into the respective buckets
while planting.
Wherever the fungicides and nematicide were
applied together, the seed pieces were treated
with respective chemical first and followed by
nematicide. Wherever, the combination of different
fungicides used, solution of different fungicides
was prepared and used as seed treatment. Second
and third round application
of fungicides
as
drenching was done two and three months after
planting. For comparison, healthy seed with hot
water treatment (51C for 10 minutes), infected
seed with hot water treatment and infected seed
alone were also included in the treatments. For
each treatment, 8 replications (8 pots with 3 plants/
pot) were maintained and arranged in RBD.
From the dual culture studies, one isolate of
Trichoderma harzianum was found effective against
both the fungal pathogens iPytnium sp. and
Fusarium oxysporum) and this efficient isolate
was used for the pot culture study.
The moistured (100 ml/250 g) broken wheat
grains filled in poly propylene bags (8x12') @
250g/bag were sterilized at 121C and 151b
pressure for one hour. Spore suspension of T.
harzianum was prepared in sterilized water &
filtered through sterilized muslin cloth. The sterilized
wheat grains were inoculated
with spore
suspension of T.harzianum @ 5ml/bag with the
help of a hypodermic syringe. Inoculated bags
were incubated at room temperature for 15 days.
Colony forming units (CFU) at the time of
application were as 9.9 x 10B/g. The biocontrol
agents (BCA) inoculum was incorporated into the
soil at the time of planting and applied @ 50g/pot.
The pathogens were incorporated into the soil two
months after planting as described earlier.

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Indian Phytopathology

The present study supported the earlier findings

of Lum (1973), who conducted a pathogenicity
study with R.solanacearum by cross inoculation
technique
and proved the pathogenicity
of
R.solanacearum on bacterial wilt in ginger. Samuel
and Mathew (1983) could prove that, bacterial wilt
in ginger could aggravate in the presence of
nematodes.
Pegg et al. (1974) proved the
involvement
of nematodes
on aggravation
of
storage rots in ginger. Pythium aphanidermatum
and P. myriotylum associated with rhizome rot of
ginger in India has been reported by many workers
(Uppal, 1940; Shahare
and Asthana,
1962;
Bharadwaj et aI, 1988). Involvement of Pythium
spp. and Fusarium spp. in storage and field rots
has been reported (Dohroo and Sharma, 1983).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Symptoms of various diseases which appeared
on artificially inoculated plants vary very much
similar to the symptoms appearing in the fields.
Tillers with disease symptoms were removed with
rhizome and presence of pathogens was confirmed
by isolating them using appropriate culture media.
First symptoms of R. solanacearum infected
plants were, downward curling of leaves and golden
brown/rusty brown discoloration seen on older
leaves. The symptoms developed after about 12
days of inoculation and wilting occurred after 15
days of inoculation. In Pythium sp. inoculated
plants, disease symptoms, as foliar yellowing from
bottom to top and disintegration of soft rhizome
tissues appeared after about 13 days of inoculation.
Fusarium infection resulted in foliar yellowing
(golden yellow), especially at margins of leaf,
which, progressed from bottom to top. The initial
symptom were noticed on plants at about 45 days
after inoculation.
The plants
wilted
and
subsequently death of the plants was observed.
But there was no sudden death of the plants
noticed where P.coffeae alone was applied, though
there was yellowing and little decay of rhizome.
When P. coffeae
was applied
along
with
F.oxysporum, the disease severity was increased,
it proved the involvement
of nematodes
on
aggravation of disease along with fungal pathogen.
Table 1.

Relative severity of diseases

Treatments

From the present study, it was inferred that

the individual fungal and bacterial pathogens
caused maximum disease and combination of
pathogens did not increase the disease incidence.
The nematode did not cause wilting, but it could
increase the disease incidence caused by the
fungal pathogens. Maximum rhizome rot (75%)
was noticed in plants where Pythium sp. applied
along with F.oxysporum.
Maximum number of
plants died, where the plants inoculated with
R.solanacearum
(90.24%) followed by Pythium
sp. (85.36%). It was also noticed that, wherever
R.solanacearum
inoculated
along with other

caused by different
%

Mortality

pathogens

of ginger

Rhizome

Root

Rhizome

Rot (%)

Rot(%)

Yield (g /pot)

Pythium

85.3

73.0

77.0

061.8

Fusarium

60.7

13.0

14.0

126.2

R solanacearum

90.2

70.0

71.0

087.5

Pratylenchus

00.0

20.0

20.0

183.1

Pythium + Fus.

78.7

75.0

78.0

063.7

Pyth. + R.sol.

64.6

46.0

48.0

130.6

Pyth. + Praty

70.0

34.0

48.0

190.6

Fus. + Rsol.

75.9

68.0

63.0

091.2

Fus. + Praty

62.5

50.0

50.0

160.0

Rsol.

+ Praty

85.96

63.0

80.0

068.7

All pathogens

79.16

73.0

81.0

097.5

Control

00.00

00.0

01.0

196.2

LSD at 5%

05.3

28.0

30.0

49.3

Average of eight replications

175

176

[Vol. 55(2) : 2002]

Indian Phytopathology

pathogens, the death rate was more. From the

experiments with the agro-chemicals, the use of
COC (Fytolan)
on the reduction
of disease
incidences as well as their role in the disease
management was proved.
All the chemical treatments
reduced the
rhizome rot. Copper oxychloride was effective in
the control of root rot and mortality due to different
Table 2.

Efficacy of various chemicals

Treatments

pathogens. All other treatments were either less

effective or ineffective in the control of the diseases.
(Table 2).
In general, T. harzianum controlled rhizome
rot, root rot and mortality caused by both fungal
and bacterial pathogens.
However, when the
pathogens were applied in combination, efficacy of
T. harzianum in their control varied (Table 3).

in the control of seed borne infection of pathogens

of ginger

Rhizome

Root

Rhizome

Mortality

Rot (%)

Rot (%)

Yield (g/pot)

Ridomil (Matco) 500ppm

25.0

08.1

05.6

113.7

Carbendazim(Bavistin)Q.2%

37.0

08.1

12.5

COC* (Fytolan)0.2%

00.0

05.6

00.0

126.3
114.4

Phorate (Thimat) 15g/pot

50.0

08.1

01.3

124.4
116.3

Matco + Phorate

12.0

01.3

02.5

Bavistin + Phorate

12.0

02.5

06.9

126.3

COC + Phorate

00.0

08.8

12.5

125.0

Mat+COC+Bav+Pho

00.0

00.0

00.0

151.3

Healthy seed + HW

00.0

03.1

13.8

177.5

Infected seed + HW

37.0

06.3

00.0

118.8

Infected seed

37.0

26.9

15.0

083.8

LSD at 5%

05.6

13.2

00.5

038.1

Average of eight replications

Table 3. Efficacy of Trichoderma
Treatments

harzianum

on control of ginger pathogens

Rhizome
Rot(%)*

Root
Rot (%)*

% of
Mortality

Rhizome
Yield (g/pot)

SCA + Pyth.
SCA + F.oxy.

03.0

01.0

00.0

218.8

04.0

01.0

00.0

202.5

SCA + R.sol.

28.0

26.0

25.0

137.5

SCA + Praty.
SCA + Pyth. + F.oxy.

06.0

12.0

00.0

195.0

61.0

62.0

00.0

098.8

BCA + Pyth. + Praty

23.0

23.0

00.0

152.5

BeA + F.oxy. + Praty

04.0

01.0

00.0

202.5

BeA + R.sol. + Pyth.

45.0

43.0

25.0

101.3

BeA + R.sol. + F.oxy.

53.0

55.0

12.5

087.5

BeA + R.sol. + Pyth. + F.oxy.

08.0

06.0

12.5

163.8

BeA alone

00.0

00.0

00.0

183.8

Pythium sp

81.0

77.0

75 ..0

197.5

F.oxysporum

27.0

31.0

00.0

075.0

R.solanacearum

69.0

71.0

50.0

155.0

LSD at 5%

28.0

33.0

00.9

073.5

* Average of eight replications

[Vol. 55(2) : 2002]

From the above experiments, it has been

proved that Pythium sp., Fusarium sp. and R.
solanaceaum are involved in ginger diseases.
Further, the role of the different chemicals as well
as the use of Trichoderma harzianum on ginger
disease management in Sikkim has been proved.

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177

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