Studies on taphrina maculans butler,inciting leaf spot of turmeric (curcuma longa L.). I. Isolation of the pathogen

Summary T. maculans inciting leaf spot of turmeric is difficult to be isolated into a pure culture. The best stage of the spot development on turmeric which yielded successful isolations was either the initial or the middle stage expressing yellowish necrotic areas. The successful course of development of asci, ascospore and conidia has been worked out. By streaking ascospore and conidial suspensions, the spot bearing portions of leaves on the inner side of the lid thus placing them in hanging position above the plates poured with cleared and acidified potato dextrose agar or turmeric leaf decoction agar or by streaking sterile water washings from the chocolate brown spots on these media, it was possible to isolate successfully the pathogenic culture ofT. maculans at 20° C.Condensed from the thesis submitted by the senior author to the University of Poona for M. Sc. (Agri.) under the guidance of the junior author. Respectively Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology, College of Agri. Poona and Wheat Rust Mycologist, Mahabaleshwar, India.