Like other agro climatic zones of India, crops in arid region also suffer enormously due to vagaries of plant diseases. Certain agro-climatic conditions favor occurrence and development of these diseases, which often takes a serous form resulting in heavy crop losses. Instances are there when growers have abandoned cultivation of cumin, a cash crop, which suffered heavily due to wilt and shifted to less remunerative or more irrigation requiring crops. Even several folk songs depict the plight of cumin growers. Similarly, concurrent soil moisture and heat stress favor survival and multiplication of soil-borne plant pathogens that causes root rots in many legumes, oilseeds and trees. As arid lands are brought under irrigation, several newer or hitherto unimportant diseases have also became serious. With the burgeoning population pressure, arid region is now confronted with producing more grain and fodder per unit of land. Besides cultivation of drought hardy varieties of crops under improved agronomic practices, management of plant diseases is yet another area, which can accept this challenge to maximize productivity of arid lands. In the present compendium, contributions were invited from experienced research workers working in specialized Institutes. An effort has been made to provide information on the occurrence of major diseases on principal cereals, legumes, oilseeds, spices, horticultural crops, trees, medicinal plants, etc, and on factors influencing their development and practical remedial measures to reduce crop losses.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR B.S. Rathore
Prof. B.S. Rathore has 39 years of experience in engineering, technical teaching and training and promotion of entrepreneurship. He has recently retired as professor and head of EDIC at National Institute of Technical Teacher's Training and Research, Chandigarh. He was instrumental in integrating Entrepreneurship Development related inputs in course curricula at vocational, technician and engineering degree level in the country. He has authored several books on Entrepreneurship, Applied Mechanics, TQM and Industry-Institute Interaction. Other areas of interest of Prof. Rathore are Intellectual Property Rights, Industry-Institute Partnership. Cooperative Education Programmes and Distance Education through on line mode.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritu Mawar
Dr. Ritu Mawar did her PhD in 2001. In her brief academic career she has published more than 30 research papers, chapter in books and popular articles in national and International journals and Magazine. Dr. Mawar, Zonal Councillor (Central Zone) of Indian Phytopathological Society for the year 2007, has been a recipient of three best paper presentation awards in national symposia. She has worked under three ICAR and DBT funded projects at CAZRI, Jodhpur and NBPGR, New Delhi. Her main area of research specialization includes Soil-borne plant disease, Biosafety measures, Phytosanitary issue, Bacterial Bio-control agents and Oraganic farming.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Satish Lodha
Dr. Satish Lodha is functioning as Principal Scientist Plant Pathology at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur. In a period of 31 years, his main area of research is biology and pathology of soil-borne plant pathogens particularly Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium and Ganoderma. He studied aspects like soil solarization, use of cruciferous residues, Biological control, use of composts, etc, and published around 150 research papers in national and International Journals. Guided 3 Ph.D. students. Visited Syria, Italy, Israel, Greece, Nepal, etc. Dr. Lodha has completed 8 research projects funded by PL 480, ICAR, DRDA, DST, etc.
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