Sugarcane Red RotIdentification & Treatment Guide 2026
Colletotrichum falcatum · Family: Glomerellaceae
Sugarcane red rot (Colletotrichum falcatum) causes internal stalk rotting with characteristic red pith and white spots. Enters through borer wounds and sett ends. Yield losses reach 50-75%. Manage with resistant varieties, hot water sett treatment (52°C for 30 min), borer control to prevent entry wounds, and strict nursery hygiene. Split stalks to inspect before planting.
Scan This Plant NowQuick Diagnosis
highSugarcane Red Rot
- Affects
- stalksbudsleaves
- Peak Season
- Monsoon season and waterlogged conditions; worst during warm (28-32°C) humid periods
- Spread Risk
- Moderate
- Spread By
- Infected planting setts, airborne conidia entering wounds, soil splash, cane borers creating entry points
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Symptoms: What does Sugarcane Red Rot look like?
Visual identification guide — tap each stage for details
Leaf midrib reddening and drying
Third and fourth leaves from the top show red discoloration along the midrib, followed by drying of the leaf from the tip downward. Often the first external symptom.
Stalk discoloration visible on splitting
Splitting the stalk lengthwise reveals reddened internal pith tissue with characteristic white transverse patches ('white spots') interspersed in the red tissue. The red color and white spots are diagnostic.
Stalk hollowing, collapse, and acrid smell
Internal tissue becomes hollow as it is consumed by the fungus. Stalks shrivel, become light, and may collapse. An alcoholic or acrid fermented smell is evident when cutting infected stalks. No sugar can be recovered.
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