Ergot of bajra and its management: Review

Abstract

The ergot of Bajra (pearl millet) was first reported from south India. The first report of its occurrence in epidemic form was made in 1956 from south ‘Satara’ area of Maharashtra. Severe epidemics of the disease are known to occur in Delhi, U.R, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, A.R, and Haryana. Natarajan et al. (1974) estimated the average incidence to be about 62.4% with grain loss of about 58%. The damage caused by the disease depends upon the weather at the time of ear formation. Presence of toxic alkaloids in the ergot adds to the importance of the disease. The sclerotia contain ‘ergo-toxin’ which, when consumed in excessive quantities, proves to be toxic to life. But, when taken in prescribed quantities it proves to be beneficial as it has some medicinal value too. The major source of primary inoculum is sclerotia already in soil from the previous crop or added at sowing (sclerotia-contaminated seed). Disease development and spread depends on prevailing weather conditions during flowering and the timely availability of pollen. Several measures are known that can help reduce the availability of primary and secondary inoculum and reduce the vulnerability of the crop to infection. These are agronomic, biological and chemical practices.