136 DIE-BACK OF CHILLIES IN BIHAR 
Carica Papaya. Flowers of Carica Papaya have given successful inocula- 
tions. They showed in two days a brown, water-soaked appearance at the 
place of inoculation. Vermicularia acervuli were produced in four days; very 
young fruits could be inoculated either through wounds or through scars 
left by fallen petals. The beginning of the infection was marked by a circular 
depression at the inoculated part. 
Vigna Catjang and Dolichos lablab. Pods of these vegetables did not take 
the inoculation so readily as flowers and young fruits of Carica Papaya. Tt was 
almost a week before the first symptoms of the infection were seen. The mocu- 
lated pods of Vigna Catjang became water-soaked while those of Dolichos 
lablab were depressed as the result of infection. 
Solanum Melongena. Fruits of brinjal showed a slight browning in about 
ten days after moculation which was done by wounding the epidermis. A 
little later the brown area became sunken and then black. The infected 
area was black in the centre and brown at the margins. Black acervuli 
were produced in the sunken areas and were arranged more or less 
concentrically. 
Citrus sp. As the result of moculation through a puncture a scabby 
erowth was formed ina few days. This scab did not much increase in size and 
produced only a few scattered acervuli. Underneath this scab the tissues 
were rotting and had turned brown. 
Inoculations on mango (Mangifera indica), plantas (Musa sp.), French 
bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), sweet peas (Lathyrus odorata), onions (Allium cepa), 
sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and Sorghum vulgare have failed. 
Treatment. 
It was at first supposed that seed selection would perhaps play an 
important part in controlling this disease, but the desired result has not been 
obtained under field conditions. 
Healthy and infected seeds were sown in two separate seed beds. The 
germination of the infected seeds was poor, about 60 to 70 per cent.; and 10 
to 15 per cent. of the seedlings died of the disease before the cotyledons had 
completely opened, The germination of the healthy seeds was normal and not 
a single seedling was infected. Seedlings grown from infected seeds showed a 
slightly poorer growth than those raised from healthy seeds and this difference 
could be observed for some time after the seedlings were transplanted in two 
separate plots in a field ; but it gradually wore off and at the time of flowering 
the plants in both the plots were equally vigorous. The field in which the 
plants were transplanted had never grown chillies before, and in fact was 
