Sydney NSW, Australia
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2024-03-14T23:52:00.0000000Z
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QUICK AND SLOW WILTS, BLACK PEPPER - SRI LANKA: ALERT

ProMED
http://www.promedmail.org

Source: Daily News [summ. Mod.DHA, edited]
https://www.dailynews.lk/2024/03/13/local/444548/pepper-cultivation-risks-a-spread-of-fungal-disease-dea-cautions-farmers/

The Department of Export Agriculture (DEA) emphasised that there is a risk of a fungal disease that spreads along the roots of the pepper crops in Sri Lanka. Quick wilt and slow wilt are the two diseases currently being reported from all areas related to pepper cultivation in the island. Due to the effect of disease, about 200 acres of pepper cultivation has been completely destroyed. There is a risk of the diseases spreading quickly due to the hot and dry weather.

This 2024 season, a high yield has been reported from pepper cultivation in the country. Pepper vines are heavy with pods everywhere. However, DEA emphasised that there is a risk of destruction of pepper pods due to rot caused by fungus that occurs around the pepper root system. Farmers are requested to burn and destroy diseased pepper vines as well as use chemicals to control disease.

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Communicated by:
ProMED

[Quick wilt (also called foot rot) of black pepper (_Piper nigrum_) is caused by the fungus-like organism _Phytophthora capsici_. It is considered one of the most serious threats to this crop; a yield loss of 75% has been reported in some instances. The disease affects leaves and vines, but once roots are affected the plant wilts and dies within a month. The pathogen is spread by splashing rain and mechanical means. It has a very wide host range and therefore a large pathogen reservoir making it difficult to control. Disease management includes fungicides, biocontrol, use of disease-free and resistant cultivars and cultural practices.

Slow wilt (also called slow decline, yellows) is caused by nematodes. Symptoms include leaf yellowing and shedding; root degeneration; blackening of branches and eventual death of the vine. Disease management of nematodes is difficult and includes nematicides, use of resistant host varieties and crop rotation with non-host species.

_Piper_ species are vines and have to be grown on vertical support. Wooden poles are often used for this purpose, but in some areas, commercial tree crops are planted to give a double crop. If live trees are being used, those trees may themselves also be affected by the same pathogens that cause the pepper wilts, as well as provide pathogen reservoirs for the crop diseases.

Pictures
Quick wilt symptoms on black pepper:
https://i2.wp.com/kirehalli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Phytophthora-foot-rot-quick-wilt-.jpg,
http://www.agritech.tnau.ac.in/crop_protection/images/pepper/pepper_foot_rot_11.jpg,
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/pepperppt-170821070739/95/pepper-ppt-5-638.jpg,
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sSzqNY-f50Q/maxresdefault.jpg and
https://cdn.vietreader.com/uploads/posts/2022-01/news_quick-wilt-on-pepper-plants-tends-to-increase-2.jpg
Slow wilt of pepper vines:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F9jJ1l-D5oA/maxresdefault.jpg and
https://kirehalli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/slow-wilt-kirehalli.jpg
Healthy pepper plantation:
http://www.phytoimages.siu.edu/users/paraman1/5_2_07_8/Portraits2s/Box12Image31.jpg

Links
Information on quick wilt of pepper:
https://kirehalli.com/management-monsoon-diseases-pepper-plantation-1/,
https://docs.kfri.res.in/KFRI-RR/KFRI-RR111.pdf,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2022.100578 (biocontrol),
https://doi.org/10.1079/pwkb.20207800491 (with pictures),
http://nif.org.in/innovation/quick_wilt_resistant_-varieties_-of_-pepper/50 and
https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop-production/integrated-pest-managment/ipm-for-spice-crops/ipm-strategies-for-black-pepper/black-pepper-diseases-and-symptoms
_P. capsici_ taxonomy:
http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=259718
Pepper slow wilt information:
https://kirehalli.com/gap-effects-management-slow-decline-pepper/,
https://www.agritech.tnau.ac.in/crop_protection/pepper_diseases_2.html and
https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop-production/integrated-pest-managment/ipm-for-spice-crops/ipm-strategies-for-black-pepper/black-pepper-diseases-and-symptoms
Black pepper, crop information and diseases (including both wilts):
http://www.agroforestry.net/scps/Black_pepper_specialty_crop.pdf,
https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/black-pepper/infos,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3332-7_26,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52865-2_6 and
https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop-production/integrated-pest-managment/ipm-for-spice-crops/ipm-strategies-for-black-pepper/black-pepper-diseases-and-symptoms
- Mod.DHA

Pepper
Phytophthora_capsici

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