Cultural and physiological study of Curvularia hawaiiensis (Bugnic. ex M. B. Ellis) causing leaf spot of pearl millet

Abstract

Among the all pearl millet diseases, leaf spot caused by Curvularia hawaiiensis has been gaining importance in recent years by causing considerable losses in high yielding varieties and hybrids, than native cultivars. Fungi have been isolated from the leaf spot of Pearl millet Curvularia hawaiiensis was found dominant pathogen. The cultural studies result revealed that, the maximum growth was recorded on yeast dextrose agar and potato dextrose agar medium with colony diameter 8.96 cm and 8.86 cm, respectively as circular colony thick growth of mycelium with dark brownish in colour, followed by host leaf extract agar medium 8.50 cm produced circular colony with dark greenish colour of the mycelium and oat meal agar 8.33 cm produced smooth circular colony with dark greenish raise fluffy mycelial growth. Temperature studies revealed that, significantly maximum growth of the pathogen was recorded at temperature 25o and 30 oC. Results on pH studies stated that, maximum mycelial growth was obtained at pH 4.0 and the test fungus could tolerate a wide range of pH 4.0 to 6.0 significantly.