Kandeeparoopan Prasannath

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• PhD
• Senior Lecturer at Eastern University, Sri Lanka

The growing demand for environmentally friendly agricultural practices necessitates innovative strategies to produce high-quality, healthy food while minimizing reliance on synthetic chemicals. Integrating nanotechnology with natural plant resources offers a robust, environmentally conscious strategy for managing fungal diseases and advancing susta...

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food crop for over half of the global population, but its cultivation is threatened by various diseases, particularly the brown spot disease caused by the fungal pathogen Bipolaris oryzae. Traditional control methods primarily rely on synthetic fungicides, which not only pose environmental hazards but also contribute...

Plants have evolved alongside a diverse array of microorganisms, playing crucial roles in supporting plant growth and health. Considerable knowledge now exists regarding the composition and dynamics of plant microbiota, along with the functional capabilities of individual community members. Given the functional significance of plant microbiome and...

Studies in Sri Lanka highlight the critical role of natural resources in advancing organic farming and developing botanical-based pesticides. Organic farming techniques, such as applying compost and green manures, significantly enhance soil fertility and health by improving nutrient availability, soil structure, and organic matter which are essenti...

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a legume grown mainly for its edible seeds, which serve as a vital protein source in the Sri Lankan diet. The pathogen Agroathelia rolfsii, which causes stem rot disease in groundnut, can lead to considerable economic losses for farmers due to its infection. The use of biological control agents, particularly Trichode...

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most extensively cultivated fruits in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide which are susceptible to fungal infection, resulting in postharvest diseases. Traditionally, synthetic fungicides have been used to manage postharvest infections. However, the search for alternative methods to control postharve...

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a popular vegetable in Sri Lanka, but downy mildew poses a serious threat, leading to reduced yields. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of botanicals in controlling the disease. Multistar RZ F1 cucumber seeds were sown in polybags and agronomic practices were followed. Ginger rhizome, garlic clove, neem s...

More than fifty medicinal mushrooms exhibit diverse therapeutic properties, with Ganoderma species holding particular historical significance in human diets and traditional medicine, especially in Asia, where they are esteemed for their purported contributions to vitality and longevity. Extensive research involving both in vitro and in vivo investi...

Leaf-foliar pathogens severely impact the growth of rubber plants and cause significant yield losses. Although chemical methods have been developed to control the pathogens, they have many limitations due to health hazards and environmental problems. Against this backdrop, this study aims to identify an appropriate medium for cultivating biocontrol...

Ganoderma, a genus of mushrooms known for its long history of medicinal use, has gained increasing attention in recent years due to its potential health benefits. This review delves into the bioactive compounds found in Ganoderma and elucidates the intricate mechanisms underlying its immunomodulatory and anti-tumour activities. The diverse health-p...

In the Batticaloa district, Sri Lanka, the majority of people rely on agriculture as their primary source of income. During pre-harvest and post-harvest management, they utilize various forms of pesticides, in order to control pests and safeguard agricultural outputs. Regretfully, the extensive use of pesticides has led to several environmental and...

At present, there is a widespread requirement for environment-friendly approaches to the production of quality and healthy food to ensure food security and sustainability in agriculture. Efforts are underway for sustainable crop production with organic fungicides and botanicals from natural resources to reduce the usage of synthetic fungicides to c...

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the economically important spice crops and is widely cultivated in Sri Lanka. Chilli leaf curl is a major viral disease that affects chilli plants and causes significant yield losses in Sri Lanka. As chilli leaf curl is an insect-borne disease, chemical insecticides are widely used to control this disease. The...

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica L.) is one of the notable leafy vegetables of Sri Lanka. From ancient times on, it has been widely used for its distinct flavour, therapeutic value and nutritive value, particularly iron. Therefore, it has strong market demand. The emergence of the weed is a vital impediment to C. asiatica cultivation, which reduces gro...

This study was conducted to find out the best alternative, cheap solid culture media derived from plant products for the cultivation of Botrytis cinerea instead of the potato used in routine microbiological studies. The selected plant-based alternative nutrient media, namely cowpea media, mung bean media, maize media, and lentil media, were investi...

Okra is one of the major vegetables which gets a significant place in Sri Lankan cuisine. Okra is susceptible to various diseases. In that way, Okra black leaf spot disease is one of the major diseases of okra which is caused by the fungal species Cercospora abelmusachi. The severe infection of black leaf spot disease in okra harms the plant and re...

Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium is typically used for culturing fungi, including carrot dry rot fungus (Fusarium sp.) that severely destroys stored carrots. Since PDA medium is expensive, it is vital to find other locally available alternative natural resources in order to prepare an efficient nutrient medium as a substitute. Also, it is necessar...

Leaf diseases in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) are common and drastically lower its yield. As synthetic fungicides are hazardous to the environment and human health, non-fungicidal approaches to foliar disease control are being adopted progressively. The current investigation assessed the effectiveness of Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) substa...

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is a significant cash crop in Sri Lanka, however, chilli leaf curl complex (CLCC) limits its output and productivity. Against the chilli leaf curl virus vector and the associated insect pests, several insecticides are offered for the management of CLCC. The indiscriminate use of insecticides causes dangers to human healt...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is one of the primary grain legumes utilized in dry zone of Sri Lanka. The production of cowpea plant stand and yield are significantly impacted by root infections caused by soil-borne pathogenic fungi. Experiments were conducted at the Agricultural Biology Laboratory and the crop farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Eastern Uni...

Foliar diseases are prominent in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) that cause enormous economic losses to eggplant cultivation. Non-fungicidal approaches are increasingly being employed to control foliar diseases due to the environmental and human health risks caused by the use of synthetic fungicides. The present study evaluated the efficacy of Gene...

Flower diseases threaten macadamia production, but there is a limited understanding of their aetiology. This study was undertaken to establish the ecology of the causal agents in commercial orchards in Australia. Raceme samples at different developmental stages were collected from 42 commercial macadamia orchards during the 2018–2020 flowering seas...

Macadamia is an evergreen tree nut crop cultivated in tropical and frost-free subtropical regions worldwide. Flower blight of macadamia is a heterogeneous disease. Currently, the four definitive categories undoubtedly represent only a spectrum of causal pathogens with contrasting lifecycles. Different disease categories seem to result from differen...

Dry flower disease caused by Pestalotiopsis/Neopestalotiopsis spp., green mould caused by Cladosporium spp. and grey mould caused by Botrytis spp., collectively known as flower blight cause significant yield losses in macadamia. Potential sources of inoculum of the various pathogens in macadamia tree canopy were examined using pathogenicity tests a...

Crop losses incurred by major plant pathogens, fungi, bacteria, nematodes and viruses are in a surge. The detrimental impacts of current disease management practices create an urgent need to develop non-chemical and eco-friendly methods. Biological control or biocontrol of phytopathogens is a sustainable and sound approach to overwhelm various thre...

The presentation was about the identification of potential sources of inoculum for the different types of flower blight pathogens in macadamia

Aims. Flower blights (grey mould, green mould and dry flower) are important diseases of macadamia. Lack of information on pathogen biology and disease epidemiology in macadamia has hampered control options. Effects of climatic variables including temperature, relative humidity (RH) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) on the abundance, germination an...

A flower blight known as dry flower disease or Pestalotiopsis blight in macadamia causes significant yield losses in commercial orchards. Although two fungal pathogens, Pestalotiopsis macadamiae and Neopestalotiopsis macadamiae were previously identified as the causative agents of dry flower disease, recent studies suggest multiple species of both...

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) is endemic to eastern Australia and produces an edible nut that is widely cultivated in commercial orchards globally. A survey of fungi associated with the grey and green mold symptoms of macadamia flowers found mostly species of Botrytis (Sclerotiniaceae, Leotiomycetes) and Cladosporium (Cladosporiaceae, Dothideo...

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) is native to eastern Australia and produces an edible nut that is extensively cultivated in commercial orchards in several countries. Little is known about the diversity of fungi associated with diseases of macadamia inflorescences. A survey of fungi associated with the dry flower disease of macadamia detected sev...

BACKGROUND In this study, we surveyed through a structured and pilot‐tested questionnaire, the practices of pesticide usage by small‐scale (< 1.25 ha) chilli and tomato farmers from four districts of Sri Lanka and their perceptions on the effectiveness of pesticides and willingness to adopt integrated pest management (IPM). RESULTS We found signif...

Pestalotiopsis blight and leaf spot in macadamia are caused by species of Pestalotiopsis and Neopestalotiopsis. Conidia produced by these pathogens are mostly dispersed by wind and rain splash and are the primary infecting propagules. Rapid detection and quantification of airborne conidia are essential to determine the seasonal dynamics of inoculum...

Phytopathogenic fungal species can cause enormous losses in quantity and quality of crop yields and this is a major economic issue in the global agricultural sector. Precise and rapid detection and identification of plant infecting fungi are essential to facilitate effective management of disease. DNA-based methods have become popular methods for a...

RNA interference (RNAi) in plant disease management is a novel gene silencing tool that uses several types of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) to knock down the genes either at transcriptional or posttranscriptional level aimed at sequence-specific degradation of phytopathogen’s gene/s or gene/s that code for suppressor molecules to combat negative ef...

Generally seed treatment with a fungicide is a common practice adapted by farmers to control seed-borne pathogens for obtaining quality and healthy chilli seedlings. Efforts are underway for obtaining vigorous seedlings with high germination rate. Having this objective in mind, a laboratory experiment was conducted at the Microbiology Laboratory, D...

Makandura-White (MK-White) mushroom cultivation requires a special practice, casing. At present, the recommended casing mixture is termite clay, sand, dry cattle manure (3:1:1). However, the availability of termite clay in large quantity is limited. On this background, a study was conducted during June to September 2018 at the Regional Agriculture...

Experiments were conducted to evaluate selected inorganic salts alone and in combination with hot water for management of banana anthracnose disease. The efficacy of hot water treatment (HWT) and either sodium bicarbonate (SBC), sodium carbonate (SC) or sodium hypochlorite (SH) applied alone and in combination to suppress anthracnose disease was in...

Extensive leaf spot was observed on all leaves of young macadamia trees planted in new orchards in Queensland, Australia. The loss in photosynthetic ability of these trees may contribute to their demise and poor establishment compared to trees without symptoms. A survey of fungal leaf spots on macadamia trees in 20 commercial orchards in Queensland...

The present study was conducted to evaluate an eco-friendly crop protection system having less reliance on pesticides with an existing crop protection system adopted by farmers depending on frequent use of pesticides for management of whitefly-transmitted virus diseases of chilli. Further, quantification of defense-related enzymes in chilli leaf ti...

In order to assess the influence of climatic factors on abundance of conidia of dry flower pathogens, Pestalotiopsis macadamiae and Neopestalotiopsis macadamiae, a Burkard spore trap was used to determine daily aerial conidia concentration at Alstonville (28.852° S, 153.456° E), New South Wales, Australia. Weather data including minimum and maximum...

Macadamia nut is cultivated commercially in frost-free tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In Australia, dry flower caused by Pestalotiopsis macadamiae and Neopestalotiopsis macadamiae is one of the biotic constraints leading to significant yield loss in macadamia. Information on dry flower disease cycle and epidemiology is limited. Leaf sp...

Seed borne pathogens can cause ample damage to seeds and seedlings of chilli. Currently, farmers treat chilli seeds with synthetic fungicides to control fungal diseases. Therefore, developing alternative fungicidal approaches is crucial to avoid the detrimental effects of synthetic fungicides. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to...

Rice is the most important cereal crop in Sri Lanka. Grain discoloration is an emerging disease complex, reducing grain quality of rice crop. Grain discoloration control is, however, mainly focused on fungicide; their use is limited due to perceived environmental problem and health concern. Silicon (Si) application is known as encouraging eco-frien...

Seed treatment is an important tool used to protect the germinating embryo and seedling against soil borne damping-off pathogens. Despite the fact that synthetic fungicides are the dominating tool against damping off disease, continued use of these synthetic fungicides causes serious problems including fungicide resistance of the disease causing or...

Utilization of synthetic pesticides has been the chief means of controlling pests and diseases in crop farming. In this context, a study was undertaken to assess the pesticide usage pattern, evaluate the socio-economic factors which influence the usage of agrochemicals and determine the environmental impact of pesticide use in vegetable cultivation...

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of climatic parameters on population of beneficial insects towards management of chilli leaf curl virus disease. Chilli variety MI Green was grown under two crop management systems viz. pesticide-based management system and an IPM-based management system at five different locations of Sri Lan...

Plant disease control is mainly based on the use of fungicides, bactericides, and insecticides-chemical compounds toxic to plant invaders, causative agents, or vectors of plant diseases. However, the detrimental effect of these chemicals or their degradation products on the environment and human health strongly imposes the search for novel, harmles...

Synthetic pesticide application has been the chief method of pest control in paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka. In this context, the objectives of the study were to assess the kind of risk exposures on paddy cultivation and identification of predominant pests in the Alayadivembu Divisional Secretariat (DS) division of Amparaand evaluate the coping mec...

Dioscorea esculenta commonly known as the lesser yam is cultivated in Batticaloa district of Sri Lanka a small scale. Pathogenic fungi reduce the quantity and quality of yam produced. Pathological investigations were carried out to find out the fungal organisms associated with yam rot of lesser yam. Eight pieces (2 mm in diameter) of the infected y...

Damping off is a typical issue in tomato nursery beds in all over the world which affects the cultivation and cause significant losses to farmers. Concerning the elimination of chemical pesticide applications in agriculture, cultivation of disease resistant varieties as a preventive measure for control this disease is highly desirable. In this aspe...

A study was conducted to determine the effects of climatic parameters and different crop management practices on induction of host plant resistance and population of beneficial insects towards management of viral diseases in chilli and tomato crops. Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) variety MI Green and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) variety Thilina we...

This paper reviews the botanical pesticidal products and their activity against the horticultural insect pests. About 211 plant species were explained to have different types of pesticidal properties under in vitro conditions against the pests. Synthetic insecticides possess inherent toxicities that endanger the health of the farmers, consumers and...

Laboratory studies were conducted to study the effect of five leaf powders viz. Justicia adhatda (Adathodai), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Carica papaya (Papaya), Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulsi) and Annona squamosa (Annona) on rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae L. infested rice in storage. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) wit...

Banana is the most popular fruit among Sri Lankans. Banana is being widely cultivated by small farmers. One of the problems associated with banana cultivation is the number of diseases affecting the crop. A survey was conducted to investigate diseases affecting banana cultivation in Batticaloa district, Sri Lanka using a specific format of a questi...

Application of pesticides has been the main method of controlling plant diseases. However, there is a growing interest in developing alternative measures aiming to minimize the harmful impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health. Inducing systemic resistance against plant pathogens is one such environmentally-friendly approach of dise...

Synthetic pesticides play a vital role in agricultural crop production. Because of their hazardous nature, the usage has been restricted through several programmes in Sri Lanka. The present study aimed at determining the trends in the use of synthetic pesticides, finding out the import pattern of pesticides and identifying the significance of synth...

High incidences of pests and diseases cause severe economic losses in tomato and chilli cultivations. The present study was focused on determination of the effects of different crop management practices and locations where crops were cultivated on the activity of Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), a defense enzyme in plants induce against the patho...

The national average potato yield of Sri Lanka is lower than its global average with the absence of an optimum temperature regime for tuber bulking being a major contributory factor. Increasing air temperatures due to the enhanced greenhouse effect have the potential to further reduce potato yields in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the primary objective of...

Incidence and types of insect-transmitted virus diseases of plants vary with the environmental factors, which have direct or indirect relationships on population dynamics of vectors. Alternative indirect strategies are essential to mitigate the environmental and health hazards of pesticide usage, which is the most predominant method of vector manag...

Introduction Early blight is a very common disease of tomato. It causes leaf spots, fruit rot and stem lesions on tomato. This disease can occur over a wide range of climatic conditions and can be very destructive if left uncontrolled, often resulting in a complete defoliation of plants. In contrast to the name, it rarely develops early, but usuall...

Yield of chilli and tomato are severely affected by plant pathogens and the synthetic pesticides are the major means of control of diseases by farmers. Considering the harmful impacts on human health and environment by pesticides, development of alternative measures has become an essential need. Systemically-acquired resistance (SAR) is a novel app...

Application of pesticides has been the main method of control of diseases of agricultural crops. However, alternative measures should be developed to minimize the harmful impacts of pesticides on environment and human health. Inducing systemic resistance against plant pathogens is one such environmentally-friendly approach of disease management. Th...

Agrochemicals related issues have become the foremost concern in Sri Lanka, especially among vegetable farmers in the recent past. The improper and over usage of agrochemicals creates many problems such as negative externality and deleterious effects on the environment as well as to the human health. In this context, the objectives of the study wer...

Indiscriminate use of synthetic insecticides for insect pest management has resulted in many harmful effects like, insect resistance, effects on the beneficial organisms etc. There is a need to use alternative methods for insect pest control to reduce the frequency of insecticides utilized for pest management. In this context, the present study was...

Plant pathogenic bacteria have evolved specialized strategies to exploit their respective hosts. Most of them are Gram-negative, of which biotropic pathogenic bacteria fundamentally possess a type III secretion system encoded by hrp genes and a variable group of genes encoding Avr effector proteins that seem to be delivered into host plant cells th...

Wilt is an important disease of chilli crop causing significant reduction in yield. In the present study, the pathogenic fungus was isolated from the infected plant parts and was identified as Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici based on the morphological and cultural features. In this context, an eco-friendly approach was followed by using plant ext...

A research was conducted to develop osmo-air dried jakfruit which could be used as ready-toeat snack foods. The fruit slices of 2.5 X 2.5 cm2 were obtained from partially ripe soft fleshed jakfruit var. Vela. The slices were immersed in 0.03% of potassium metabisulphite solution for 5 minutes. to prevent browning reactions during processing and sto...

A study was undertaken to examine the influence of different processing methods on drying rate and quality of dried banana. The effects of processing methods such as blanching, chilling, freezing and combined blanching and freezing on the quality of bananas (Musa acuminata var. Williams) were investigated. The banana fruits were dried at 40ºC in a...

A study was undertaken to examine the influence of different pre-treatments on drying rate and quality of ripe banana. The effects of pretreatments such as blanching, chilling, freezing and combination treatments on the quality of bananas (Musa acuminata cv. Embul) were investigated. The banana fruits were dehydrated at 40°C in a heat pump dehumidi...

Modified atmosphere packaging depleted in O2 and enriched in CO2 used in conjunction with refrigeration may provide an effective means of retarding deterioration, maintaining quality and extending the postharvest life of avocados. Mature pre-climacteric avocados were packaged in several plastic films and stored at three different temperatures of 4,...