Studies on Choanephora twig blight of chilli and it's management

Choanephora is a facultative saprobe that belongs to the Sub division Zygomycotina, Order: Mucorales and Family Choanephoraceae and it is responsible for causing twig blight in chilli. It has a wide host range. The present investigation has been initiated to study the symptoms and management of disease.A preliminary survey was conducted in 6 major chilli growing districts of Telangana district during kharif 2013-14. The pathogen was isolated from the leaf and proved for its pathogenecity. Prominent hairy growth of Choanephora cucurbitarum on the infected tissue was found in the morning hours. Ten varieties were screened against the test pathogen C. cucurbitarum. The potential biocontrol agent and effective fungicide were screened. Out of this captan was found to most effective in reducing the disease incidence by 66.47% followed by Trichoderma viride + captan + Neem oil.