Current Distribution of Groundnut Rust in India

Abstract

Groundnut rust (Puccinia arachidis), which has long been considered as endemic to the Western Hemisphere, has spread to many countries in Asia, Australia and Africa in recent years. In India it was first observed in 1969 in Punjab State and subsequently in many other groundnut growing states. In our surveys we observed severe damage to the crop in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra States. The pathogen is very well established in these States probably because of extensive and continuous cropping. Although we noted rust in Gujarat State the damage to the crop was negligible. This is the first report of groundnut rust in Gujarat. The disease was not found by us in Punjab State. Only uredospores were noticed on specimens collected from different parts of India.