Studies on Pre- and Post Emergence Damping off on Chilli Caused by pythium Ultimum

Chilli crop is attacked by more than dozen diseases of fungal, bacterial and viral nature leading to great loss to cultivators. Among those diseases, damping off of chilli incited by Pythium spp. is responsible for 90 per cent mortality either as pre or post-emergence damping off in nurseries and field conditions. Results indicated that the pre-emergence damping off was responded with significantly lowest seed rot found in PATH-34 (42.4 %) and this variety was at par with PATH-32 (60.3 %), PATH-24 (60.3%), PATH-9 (61.1%), PATH-7 (60.02%), PATH-6 (65.00 %) and PATH-26 (65.0%). Significantly highest seed mortality was noted in 58 entries where number of rotten seeds ranged from 69.6 to 96.7 per cent. Significantly higher germination in sick soil was PATH-34 (28.63 %), PATH-9 (16.41%), PATH-24 (15.61%), PATH-32 (15.61 %), PATH-6 (11.71 %), PATH-7 (11.71%) and PATH-26 (11.71%). While 58 entries have significantly less germination in sick soil. However, the post-emergence damping off the genotypes PATH-6 (22.86%), PATH-9 (22.86%) and PATH-34 (22.86%) were resistant (R) reaction with seedling mortality and the moderately resistant (MR) reaction of seedling mortality were PATH-24 (40.16%), PATH-32 (40.06%), PATH-30 (36.17%) and PATH-07 (31.46%). The 12 germplasm lines expressed moderately susceptible (MS) reaction having post-emergence mortality from 40.2 to 56.8 (%). The 18 germplasm lines expressed susceptible reaction (S) having 56.9 to 73.4 (%) post emergence mortality. The highly susceptible reaction (HS) was expressed by 28 entries having post-emergence mortality from 73.5 to 90 (%).