Red Rot Disease in Upper Egypt and Its Influence on Sugarcane Production and Quality

Red rot disease caused by Collotetricum falcatum Went on sugar cane plantations of the main six governorates i.e. El-Menia, Assuit, Sohag, Qeunna, Luxor and Aswan in Upper Egypt is recently becoming obviously monitored and eventually recorded in Egypt for the first time. The causal pathogen was successfully isolated from diseased sugarcane internodes of certain selected cultivars. The purified fungus was monitored, identified and photographed using conventional methods under microscopic field. It was found to be comparable to the identified causal pathogen i.e. Colletotrichum falcatum Went. The light colour mycelia with high number conidial isolate was found to be highly virulent on sugarcane plants. The pathogenic potential of thirteen isolates of Collotetricum falcatum Went selected out of sixty ones achieves high disease severities with the greatest effect of the isolates 7d5, 13 ma, and 31 m in descending order on internodes of sugarcane of cv Giza 3 in an ex vitro studies. The diagnostic symptoms on plant leaves as well as on cane internodes show up identical red rot appearance and were clearly imaged. The response of five sugarcane cultivars with different type of susceptibility to infection by C. falcatum was recorded on host differentials according to the level of disease susceptibility. Red rot disease is found to be a threatening disease of sugarcane, causing severe yield loss in most of the sugarcane-growing governs in Upper Egypt, the losses occurred either in sugarcane yield or in produced sugar that are markedly recorded. The loss by ton of sugarcane quantities ranged between 2756.5 up to 744882.6 in the growing areas. Accordingly, the loss in produced sugar varied based on the resulted quantity from the needed amount of sugarcane. Moreover, the quality of sugarcane internodes are severely influenced due to the infection by red rot disease in terms of external and internal discoloration, abnormal structure (stunting), reduced soluble solid content (SSC%), and or hardness of cane tissue (firmness).

Saneya Mohamed EL Neshawy, Ehab Mohamed Yassen, and Mustafa MA El-Kholi. Red Rot Disease in Upper Egypt and Its Influence on Sugarcane Production and Quality. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology A 16 (2026) 79-89, doi: 10.17265/2161-6256/2026.02.003

[1]     Murthy, E. N., Chiranjibi, P., Reddy C. S., and Raju, V. S. 2010. “Piscicidal plants used Gond tribe of Kawal wildlife sanctuary.” Andhra Pradesh, India. Indian J. Nat. Prod. Res. 1 (1): 97-101.

[2]     Rott, P., Bailey, R. A., Comstock, J. C., Croft, B. J., and Saumtally, S. 2000. “A guide to sugarcane diseases.” CIRAD-ISSCT, Cirad publication Services, Montepellier, France, p. 339.

[3]     Sevanesan, A., and Waller, J. M. 1986. “Sugarcane diseases commonwealth mycological institute.” Kew, Survey CAB—International Fathom House, Famham Royal. S. Lough SL2 3 BV UK. p. 88.

[4]     Chona, B. L., and Srivastava, D. N. 1960. “Variability of Colletotrichum falcatum Went, the causal organism of red rot of sugarcane.” Indian Phytopath. 13: 58-65.

[5]     Satyavir, M. S., Virk, K. S., and Anil, K. 1994. “Red rot management through host resistance—Asound option.” In: Current Trends in Sugarcane Pathology (Eds. G. P. Rao, A. G. G. Illaspie, Jr, P. P. Upadhyaya, A. Bergamin, V. P. Agnihotri, and C. T. Chen). Int. Books and Periodicals, New Delhi, pp. 377-392.

[6]     Anonymous. 1999. “Proceeding and recommendations.” Group meeting of AICRP on Sugarcane held at CCS HAU, RRS, Uchani Karnal, October 11-13, 1999.

[7]     Saksena, P., Sunil, K. V., Ajay, K. T., Atul, S., and Arun, K. 2013. “Pathological and molecular variation in Colletotrichum falcatum Went isolates causing red rot of sugarcane in the northwest zone of India.” Journal of Plant Protection Research 53 (1): 37-41.

[8]     Alexander, K. C. 1990. “Diseases of sugarcane and their management.” In: Recent Advances in Sugarcane (Ed. P. N. Rao), KCP Ltd., Vuyyuru, Andhra Pradesh, pp. 364-381.

[9]     Administration of Agriculture Extension / Agriculture Research Center (ARC). 2013. “The Main Production Areas of Sugarcane in Egypt.” Issue 1071 / Giza, Egypt, p. 1.

[10]  Elkholi, M. M. A. 2007. “The gap between sugar production and consumption in Egypt.” Vol. 1071, Cairo / Egypt.

[11]  https://www.bing.com/search?q=g+results+for+sugarcane+production%2F+sugarcane+kg+needed+for+sugar+production%3F.&cvid

[12]  Abbott, E. V. 1938. “Red rot of sugarcane.” U. S. Dep. Agric. Tech. Bull. 641, p. 96.

[13]  Abbott, E. V., and Hughes, C. G. 1961. “Red rot.” In. J. P. Martin, E. V. Abbott, and C. G. Hughes (Editors), Sugarcane Diseases of the World, Vol. I. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 262-287.

[14]  Srinivasan, K. V., 1963. “Some observations on variations in the red rot pathogen Glomerella tucumanensis (Speg) Arx & Muller.” Proceedings ISSCT 1: 795-802.

[15]  Chona, B. L. 1980. “Red rot of sugarcane and sugar industry- a review.” Indian Phytopath. 33: 191-207.

[16]  Chhabra, M. L., Parameswari, B., and Viswanathan, R. 2016. “Pathogenic behavior pattern of Colletotrichum falcatum isolates of sugarcane in sub-tropical India.” International Journal of Plant Research 29 (40): 1000182.

[17]  Satyavir, M. S., Beniwal, K., Virk, S., and Maheswari, S. K. 1984. “Breakdown of red rot resistance in sugarcane cultivar Co 1148”. Indian Phytopath. 37: 407.

[18]  Alexander, K. C., Viswanathan, R. 1996. “Major diseases affecting sugarcane production in India and recent experiences in quarantine.” In: Sugarcane Germplasm Conservation and Exchange (Eds: Croft, B. J., Piggin, C. M., Wallis, E. S., Hogarth, D. M.) ACIAR Proceedings No. 67, Canberra, pp. 46-48.

[19]  Benwal, M., Satyavir, S., and Virk, K. S. 1989. “Pathogenic variability in Colletotrichum falcatum incitant of red rot of sugarcane”. Indian Phytopath. 42: 95-98.

[20]  Ruchika, S., and Sushma, T. 2015. “A Review on red rot: The ‘cancer’ of sugarcane.” Plant Pathology & Microbiology S: 1 Doi: http:// dx.doi.org10.4172/2157-7471.sI-003. P 1-8.