Diseases of Spices and Their Biological Control

Spices are being used ever since the ancient civilizations of India, Mesopotamia and China. Spices denote all the aromatic or pungent substances of vegetable origin. They are used in original or grounded form for imparting flavour, aroma and pungency to food. Spices constitute an important group of agricultural commodity, which is virtually indispensable in culinary art. They are well known as appetizers or preservatives. Many of these have rich medicinal properties and are used in pharmaceutical industry especially in the preparation of ayurvedic medicines, perfumery, cosmetic products, religious rituals etc. The protection of plant from pathogens include some biological controls (fungal and bacterial antagonists) but mainly the chemical control measures, that is, the use of chemicals for foliar sprays and dusts, seed treatments and control of post harvest diseases of the produce. Biological control involves protection of plants from pathogens by development of antagonistic microorganisms at the infection site before or after infection takes place. The present book “Diseases of Spices and their Biological Control” incorporates the biocontrol of Chilli leaf curl diseas, Coriadrum stem gall disease, Powdry mildew disease of fenugreek, Wilt and blight disease of cumin and Leaf spot disease of turmeric. Biological control methods aim at improving the resistance of the host or at favouring microorganisms, antagonistic to the pathogen.Hence this method can be used to control the disease. Not only virus incidence and severity was reduced but the growth of plants and yields were also increased. The book will be useful to students, researchers, plant pathologistys, botanists and Agriculturists working in the field of pathology and Biological Control.