LIBRARY 



VP.V YORK 



RED ROT OK SUGARCANE. 



UY 



E. J. BUTLER, M.15., I'.L.S., 



Iiii/jcridl Mycohxjisl^ 



AM) 



ABDUL HAFIZ KHAN. 



AssisUint to the Itii peridl Mi/coloi/is/. 



The most serious disease to wliicii sugarcane is subject in Jjulia 

 is undoubtedly that known as " red rot,"' caused b\' the fungus Col- 

 letotrichuni falcatum Went. In 1906, a preliminary account of its 

 characters and the damage caused by it in Bengal, especially that 

 part which is now^ Bihar, was published in these Memoirs.' The 

 most important conclusions there come to were that the disease 

 ordinarily results in Northern India from the use of infected canes as 

 " seed"' and that the most hopeful method of checking it was by 

 careful selection of the setts at the time of planting. 



In a subsequent paper' the advantage of this practice was 

 emphasised, some striking illustrations being given. Further ex- 

 perience has only increased the evidence of the value of sett selection 

 which, while not an infallible preventive, is ordinarily instrumental 

 in greatly diminishing the incidence of the disease. It is worth 

 considering this evidence in detail, since infection from diseased seed 

 has recently been denied by American" and West Indian' wTiters. 



» Butler, E. J. Fungus diseases of su-rarcane in Bengal. Mem. Dept. of Atriio. in India, 

 Bot. S.t. I, Xo. 3, 1906. 



- }h. The selfction nf siiL^ircaix' (■iitliii':<. A;.'iii'. •Inmn. of lii.li;i. IF. I'.MiT. p. I't.'i. 



'•■^ Edgerton, C W. 'I'lu- rod rot of su'.'arcane. T>ouisiana AlmIc. K.xiht. St.i. Bull, l:}!], 

 litll, p. 11. 



* Bed rot fungus and the sugarcane in the West Indies, Agricultural Xcws, XII, Nos. 

 2SG-7-8, 1913. 



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