In vitro screening of fungicides and tannins against fungal pathogens of jujube fruits

Introduction Jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) tree is subjected to attack by different fungal pathogens causing various diseases. In India, powdery mildew (Oidium sp.) causes defoliation and fruit-drop. Sooty mold (Cladosporium zizyphi) causes leaves to fall. Leaf spot results from infection by Cercospora spp. and Isariopsis indica var. zizyphi. Leaf rust, caused by Phakopsora zizyphi-vulgaris, ranges from mild to severe on all commercial cultivars in India. Fruits on the tree are attacked by Alternaria chartarum, Aspergillus nanus, A. parasiticus, Helminthosporium atroolivaceum, Phoma hessarensis, and Stemphyliom mavalparadisiacum. Twigs and branches may be affected by Entypella zizyphi, Hypoxylon hypomiltum, and Patellaria atrata. In storage, the fruits may be spotted by the fungi Alternaria brassicicola, Phoma spp., Curvularia lunata, Cladosporium herbarum. Fruit rots are caused by Fusarium spp., Nigrospora oryzae, Epicoccum nigrum, and Glomerella cingulata (Morton, 1987). Reports from different countries reveal that the crop is attacked by powdery mildew (Oidium erysiphoides f. sp. ziziphi), fruit spot and rot (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium spp., Pestalotiopsis palmarum, Curvularia lunata, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Aspergillus spp.), sooty mould, leaf rust, leaf spot etc. (Gupta and Madan 1977a; 1977b; 1977c; Raiet al., 1982; Singh and Abstract