Exploring Fusarium wilt in Castor Plant: A Comprehensive Overview

Wilt of castor (Ricinus communis) plant caused by xylem inhabiting fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini (Fusari), which gives way to opportunistic pathogens such as R. reniformis, a nematode, resulting in massive agricultural production loss and an increase in disease severity when both are involved. Disease prevalence varied greatly between crop stages and cultivars. The genotypes GP-640, JI-35, RG-3477, and SKI-341 were highly susceptible, while RG-1916, RG-155, RG-1647, AP-163, Ap-33, Ap-156, Ap56, Ap-42, Ap-200, Ap-180, and Ap-171 were resistant against castor wilt. In vitro evaluation of the castor crop as a component crop revealed a maximum and minimum wilt occurrence rate of 48% and 1-6% in Groundnut + Castor (5:1) and Pigeonpea + Castor (1:1) intercropping, respectively. In GCH-4, treatment of the seeds with carbendazim at 1g/kg soil was shown to be the most efficient in lowering disease prevalence (24.4%) while also producing a high seed production of 1123 kg/h.