ABSTRACT
Betel vine, a perennial climber cultivated for its leaf is grown mostly as a cash crop in West Bengal and southern parts of the country, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and to some extent in Bihar, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura. West Bengal contributes about 66% of the total production of Rs. 9000 million. In young crops, ‘leaf rot’ symptoms are prominent and the leaves near the soil region show circular to irregular water-soaked spots. The spots enlarge in size and cover a part or whole of the leaf blade, which shows rotting. The fungus is ectophytic and produces profusely branched, hyaline and septate hyphae on the surface of the leaves. Conidiophores are short, club-shaped, non-septate and hyaline and produce conidia in chains. Good progress has been recorded regarding the disease management for betel vine. Identification of constituents in different landraces using modern scientific techniques could be useful for future elite land races selection.
