Onion (Allium cepa L.)
Black mould (Aspergillus niger)
Symptoms
- The disease is common in onions stored in hot climates where the temperature ranges between 30-45oC.
- It is characterized by the black powdery mass of spores that appear on the exterior of the scales.
- The black spore masses are also seen on inner scales.
- Infected bulbs lose their pungency and smell
- Rotten garlic cloves show black, brown, pink or white coloured rotting
- In advanced stages all scales are infected and the bulb shrivels.
- It reduces the market value of the bulbs.
Management
- For effective control of the disease, leave the harvested bulbs for drying in the field for two days and should be further dried in shade for 10-15 days before storage.
- Care should be taken to avoid injury to the bulbs during post-harvest handling.
- Storage with good ventilation and temperature just above 0oC
- Infected bulbs should be discarded before storage.
Chemical Control
| Sl.No | Generic Name | Trade Name | Color code | Dosage/litre | Knapsack Sprayer (Capacity 10L) | Recommendation | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dosage/acre (200 L) | Dosage/hectare (500 L) | |||||||
| 1 | Carbendazim 50 WP | Bavistin, Benfil, Bengard, Benlate, Benmain, Bensaan, Carben, Carziim50, Dhanustin, Dhanustin 50 WP, Fungiguard, Gancarzin50, Glizim, Mintho, Tagstin, Tiara, Zoom | Green | 2 g/ litre of water/kg of seed | - | - | - | Seed treatment |
| 2 | Formalin | - | - | 3 ml/ litre of water | - | - | - | Fumigate |
Extremely Toxic
Highly Toxic
Moderately Toxic
