Compared to other fruits, jackfruit is considered relatively free of diseases, but now, researchers at the Integrated Farming Systems Research Station (IFSRS), a Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) facility at Karamana here, have reported the emergence of a new fungal disease in jackfruit.
It is perhaps the first time that fruit rot caused by the fungus Athelia rolfsii is being reported in jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) in India, according to Sajeena A., Assistant Professor, IFSRS.
A soil-borne fungal pathogen, Athelia rolfsii is a major threat to several crops and, hence, the new development warrants immediate attention, a research paper describing the IFSRS findings published in the latest edition of the Journal of Plant Pathology warned. The paper is authored by Dr. Sajeena, Deepu Mathew, Jacob John (professor and head, IFSRS), M.K. Dhanya, K. Sushitha and P. Ruby Nahan of the IFSRS.
