First Report of Charcoal Rot Caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in Basella alba in India

Abstract

Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) belongs to the family Basellaceae, which is native to Southeast Asia. It is widely cultivated as a perennial leafy vegetable in India. The leaves are rich sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, soluble 􀃒ber, and protein per calorie. It possesses immense potential in androgenic and nephroprotective activity, antioxidant and antibacterial activity, anti-in􀃓ammatory activity, and central nervous system depressant activity (Kumar et al. 2013). During the period of August to October 2016, plants were observed with charcoal rot symptoms at the research farm of ICAR–Indian Institute of Vegetable Research and in six farmers’ 􀃒elds ranging in size from 200 to 1,000 m in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The symptoms, observed on 30 to 40% of the plants, consisted of brownish to black discoloration at the collar region of the stem and branches that progressed into wilting and drying of the entire plant. Infected plant stems appeared shredded and contained black microsclerotia.