Beet Yellows: Virus

Symptoms

• This disease is transmitted mainly through aphids.
• The important symptoms of the disease include yellow spots on the young leaves in the initial stages of infection.
• As the disease progresses, the leaves exhibit irregular yellow patches alternating with normal green colour of the leaves.
• The older leaves of infected plants become chlorotic, noticeably thickened, leathery and brittle. The foliage becomes abnormally red or yellow and often dies.

Management

• Control measures include removal of infected plants and weeds from the field.
• The disease incidence can be minimized by controlling the population of aphids by spraying oxydemeton Methyl 25 EC (2ml/litre of water)