The symptoms first appear as dark brown water-soaked lesions on the midrib of the leaves which enlarge and spread to leaf lamina resulting in blighting.
Affected petioles show black discolouration.
On young shoots, black lesions were observed which enlarged in size resulting in rotting and drying up of shoots from tip downwards.
Sometimes severe defoliation of green leaves could be observed in the affected gardens.
Immature fruit rot and fruit drop are highly prevalent in nutmeg gardens in Kerala.
Immature fruit split and shedding are found in some trees without any apparent infection.
Half matured fruits are most susceptible to this disease.
Management
Remove and destroy all fallen leaves and fruits.
Maintain proper spacing between plants at the time of planting.
Provide proper shade
Ensure proper drainage facilities during monsoon
Spray Pseudomonas fluorescens (20g/l) at monthly intervals during onset of monsoon.
Add trichoderma enriched cowdung as basal dose at the rate of 5-10 kg per tree
