Disease appears on rachillae of the male flowers and then in the main rachis as brownish patches which soon spread from tip downwards covering the entire rachis causing wilting
The female flowers of the infected rachis shed and the whole inflorescence show ‘die back’ symptom
The fruiting bodies of the fungus, (conidia ) appear as concentric rings in the discolored areas
The disease is severe mostly during dry condition (February – March)
Management
Remove affected inflorescence immediately. Spray mancozeb (4 g in 1 litre of water) twice, once just after female flowers are set and again 15-28 days later
Aureofungin solution at 100 ppm concentration is also effective in controlling the disease
Dept of Agriculture Development 
SFAC Kerala
