Epidemiology and Management of Downy Mildew of Isabgol: A Review

The downy mildew of Isabgol caused by Peronospora plantaginis is a major limiting factor for its production and productivity. The disease appears in severe form every year and caused extensive quantitative as well as qualitative damage to the crop and makes the cultivation of Isabgol unprofitable. It causes a variety of symptoms on leaves such as chlorotic patches accompanied by ashy-white downy growth. The variations in the incidence and severity of downy mildew depend on the environmental conditions. During favourable environmental conditions, it causes serious yield reduction. Since no resistant varieties are available against this disease; therefore, the use of chemical fungicides is the only option available to the farmers to control this disease. However, it can effectively be controlled by the use of chemicals but larger breeding programmes to evolve resistant varieties need to be initiated.