Susceptibility of different leaf stages of Hevea to Corynespora cassiicola

Corynespora leaf fall disease caused by Corynespora cassiicola is considered one of the most destructive foliar diseases of rubber. The pathogen affects the leaves causing leaf fall throughout the year. According to the results of this study the young leaf stages, copper brown and late copper brown, were the most susceptible to CLFD. With maturity, the lesion sizes reduced and it was not possible to artificially inoculate mature leaves from any clone. The observations were confirmed by results from the field experiments. The results of this investigation suggests that the fungicide spray rounds could be minimized if spraying programme is scheduled targeting the refoliation period.