INVESTIGATION AND MEASUREMENT OF FIELD DISEASES OF GERBERA (Gerbera jamesonii L.) IN BANGLADESH

An experiment was conducted for detection and identification of field diseases of gerbera plants and flowers during February, 2019 to May, 2019 at Jashore district of Bangladesh. Laboratory studies were carried out in the Plant Disease Clinic of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Eighteen villages from 4 Unions of Jhikorgacha Upazila of Jashore district were considered for field survey. Three fields from each village were intensively investigated. The disease incidence and severity were recorded under natural epiphytic conditions. In total, eleven diseases and abnormalities were identified in the field condition. Among them, six fungal diseases were further studied in the laboratory and causal organism were isolated and identified. These were leaf spot caused by Alternaria alternata, leaf blight caused by Botrytis cinerea, stem rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. chrysanthemi, crown rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani, flower blight caused by Botrytis cinerea and petal spot caused by Alternaria alternata and Bipolaris sp. Moreover, foot and root rot, leaf curl, mosaic, flower curl and flower abnormality, which is a physiological disorder, were detected in fields but the causal organisms and causes responsible for the diseases were not studied. The incidence and severity of diseases were varied from 0-56% and 0-26%, respectively. Considering the disease incidence and severity, the major diseases of gerbera plants were leaf spot, leaf blight, flower blight, and flower abnormality in Bangladesh.