Some Important Diseases of Hard Pines in India

The paper deals with the current status of important diseases of hard pines in India. In nurseries, damping off, seedling will and Cercospora needle blight were found to cause losses of economic importance. While damping off disease has been successfully controlled by use of chemicals, no control of seeding wilt and Cercospara needle bilght has yet been evolved. In plantations, Pinus radiata and to some extent P. oocarpa among exotic pines and P. roxburghii, the indigenous pine, were found susceptible to Cercospora needle blight. Diplodla die-back of exotic pines was recorded in some plantations in Uttar Pradesh. The disease was found absent in exotic pine plantation of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and North Bengal. Lophodermium indianum SuJan Singh and Minter, occurring commonly on mature need es of P. roxburghii and many exotic pines was found as a weak parasite and is thus of no potential importance.