Basil Diseases: Various pests

Basil is a popular herb prized for its flavorful foliage, mostly in cooking. Basils can be grown indoors and out in the garden and are easy to look after. However, there are several diseases that could cause leaf damage leading to yield lost, especially in high humidity conditions when basils are very sensitive. Indeed, very few pesticides and fungicides have been registered for use on basil. Therefore, learning about the common basil diseases and preventing them by cultural practices such as maintaining good air circulation and good field sanitation coupled with using tested seeds of tolerant or resistant varieties are the best way to control basil diseases. Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. basilicum) is one of the most common basil diseases. Other destructive diseases include bacterial leaf spot (Pseudomonas cichorii), gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) and damping off or root rot (Rhizoctonia solani; Pythium spp.). Moreover, although downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) is relatively new in North America, it is also very destructive, and widespread occurrence can happen if it is uncontrolled. Last but not least, the symptoms of nutrient deficiency might be caused by root – knot nematode which also can infect basil [4]. Downy mildew: An initial symptom is yellowing of leaves, typically from around the middle vein and then spreading to most of the leaf surface. As the disease progresses, the more characteristic symptom of fuzzy grayish-purple sporangia (the reproductiv