The Major Diseases of Pearl Millet in the Indian Sub-continent: Current Scenarios in Resistance and Management Strategies

Pearl millet is a highly nutritive food crop grown across the world for its grain and forage purposes. However, due to the lower production of the crop in India, it is anticipated that demand will surpass the anticipated growth. Infection by various phytopathogens is the major cause of decreased production, mainly due to downy mildew, ergot, blast, rust and smut diseases as the major contributors to yield reduction. Downy mildew is the most destructive of all, with a distinctive biology. Ergot is damaging due to its direct effect on grain and forage. The blast disease initially reported in rice is now a severe threat to pearl millet. Incidences of smut and rust are also posing a serious challenge to plants. Changes in climatic conditions and the development of new hybrids led to the origin of new virulent strains with the potential to evade the resistant mechanism. This emphasizes the need for the establishment of new management techniques, including chemical, biological and host plant resistance practices, so as to increase grain yield. The current chapter is an attempt to understand the epidemiology, aetiology and life cycle of the globally important pearl millet diseases to ensure the development of successful management techniques.