Phytophthora foot rot of Black Pepper

Abstract

Black pepper, (Piper nigrum L), the 'King of Spices' is an important commercial crop which fetches about Rs. 226 crore per annum as export earnings to the country. It is grown in an area of 183400 ha producing 46100 (annes per annum. It is a perennial climber, native ofW'estern Ghats of India and has spread to other countries like Ipdonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China and Thailand. Out of 17 diseases reported (Sarma et aI., 1991), Phytophthora foot rot has been identified as major production constraint not only in India but also in other parts of the world where the crop is grown (Holliday and Mowat, 1963; Sarma and Nambiar, 1982). The present status of the disease among the member countries of International Pepper Community (!PC) haS been reviewed recently (Duarte and Albuquerque, 1991; Sarma et aI., 1992; Manohara et aI., 1992; Kueh and Sim 1992; Sarma and Anandaraj, 1994).