This presentation includes symptoms, etiology and management of Ergot of Bajra or Pearl Millet.

1. ERGOT OF BAJRA OR PEARL MILLET
DR. RAJBIR SINGH
Assistant Professor
Department of Plant Pathology
Gochar Mahavidyalaya, Rampur Maniharan, Saharanpur (UP), India
Affiliated to Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut (UP), India
Email: rajbir25805@yahoo.com, rajbirsingh2810@gmail.com
Cell No. 91-9456613374

2. ERGOT OF BAJRA OR PEARL MILLET
• Disease occur in many countries including India
• In India – Delhi, UP, UK, Rajastan, Maharastra,
Karanataka, A.P., Haryana, Punjab etc.
• Alkaloids present in scelerotia in form of Ergotoxin – are
harmful for animal & human
• Loss- till 70%

3. Symptoms
• Symptoms appear at flowering stage
• Pinkish honey type secretion from
spikelets, which become sticky later
called – Honey Dew Stage
• Later small, brown color irregular
sclerotia form in place of grains called-
Ergot
• Sclerotia form after 10-15 days of honey
dew
• Sclerotia are 0.5-1 cm long & 1-2 mm
diameter, hard & woody

5. Contamination of pearl millet seed with
ergot infested ones

6. Pathogen – Claviceps fusiformis
• Disease is soil & seed borne
• Pathogen survive as sclerotia
• Sclerotia fallen in soil or present in seed after fall in soil germinate & form
conidia
• Secondary spread conidia - by contact, insect, rain etc.
• Low tem & moist condition favour disease.

7. Systemic Position
Kingdom – Mycota/ Fungi
Division – Eumycota
Sub division – Ascomycotina
Class – Pyrenomycetes
Order – Clavicipitales
Family – Clavicepitiaceae
Genus – Claviceps
Species - fusiformis

8. Disease Management
• Use of healthy seed
• Seed treatment – Thiram @ 2 gm/kg seed or use 20-32 % salt
solution for removal of sclerotia
• Early sowing
• Crop rotation – 3 years
• Removal of crop residues
• Removal of infected ears
• Spray – 2-3 sprays weekly after flowering of:
(1). Ziram@ 2 gm/lit of water
(2). Zineb 75% WP+Copper Oxychloride 50% WP@2.5 kg/ha
(3). Carbendazim 50% WP @ 0.5 kg/ha
• Dis. Res. Var.-RHR-1 (SP-31), JBV-2, NMS-20A, J-2340 etc.

9. Thank You

10. Thank You