Major Diseases of the Biofuel Plant, Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas)

Abstract

Although several descriptions of fungi exist, this chapter will discuss the most common and damaging diseases that affect physic nut, and draws on the following descriptions: Anthracnose (figure 1)Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.)Sacc.Colletotrichum capsici (Syd.)Butl.and Bisby This disease was first described in physic nut by the USDA (1960) in the USA, in Brazil by Viégas (1961), and later by Freire & Parente (2006) and Sá et al. (2011).Currently, the disease is present in all areas where physic nut is cultivated.