Survey on Foot and Root Rot Disease of Betel Vine (Piper betle L.) under Prevailing Environmental Condition

A field survey was conducted to find out the incidence of foot and root rot of betel vine caused by Sclerotium rolfsii under prevailing environmental condition in major betel vine growing areas of Bangladesh. The areas were Gouranadi, Kaligonj, Mirpur, Mohanpur and Sitakunda Upazila under the district of Barisal, Jhenaidah, Kushtia, Rajshahi and Chittagong, respectively. The incidence of foot and root rot disease varied remarkably and ranged from 4.53 to 15.46% in different upzillas. The maximum incidence of 15.46% was recorded from Gouranadi where soil pH was 5.4, ambient temperature was around 32 o C, relative humidity was 82% and light intensity was 53x100 lux. The lowest incidence of the disease was observed as 4.53% from Sitakunda where soil pH was 6.6, ambient temperature was 28 o C, RH was 72% and light intensity was 74x100lux. The incidence of foot and root rot of betel vine was high in the areas where soil pH and light intensity were low and temperature and relative humidity were high.