Management Strategies of Forest Plant Diseases: A Review

Forest serves as source of timber, fodder, fuel and forest produce to human along with conservation of soil and water, provision of food and shelter to wildlife and also adding to the aesthetic value and recreational need of human. A major injury to nursery seedlings is caused by pests (insects, mites, diseases and weeds) which has detrimental effect on the seedlings during nursery production by reducing plant growth and quality. Plant diseases are caused by insects, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses and phytoplasmas. However, it is important to know the kind of diseases present in the nursery and the detrimental impact they cause on tree production. Basically, to reduce the risk of pest infestation (insects, mites, weeds, diseases) in the nursery it is important to first of all know the source of diseases in or around the nursery. Seedling production plays an important role in keeping the forest productive, it is therefore important that these disease causing organisms are carefully eradicated from the nursery through proper management strategies. In forest nurseries, different types of diseases such as damping off, root rot, powdery mildew, leaf curl, wilt, canker and rust among others could be found. Therefore, this review emphasizes on the causes and effective ways of managing and eradicating diseases in forest nursery.