Vol. 9, Issue 2, Part B (2025)

The experiment was carried out in the Department of Plant Pathology at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat during the year 2020 to 2023 on Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) plant to identify diseases associated with the crop in Assam. Survey and sampling for diseased dragon fruit plant samples were carried out in eight districts of Assam during November, 2020 until October, 2021. Prevalence of stem anthracnose, stem rot and stem gray blight with highest per cent disease incidence (30%) of stem anthracnose was recorded from Gogamukh followed by KVK Chirang (12%), KVK Jorhat (10%), Paanjan Jorhat (10%), KVK Borpeta (10%), AAU-ZRS Gossaigaon (10%) and KVK Nalbari (5%). Stem rot disease incidence of anthracnose was recorded from six surveyed areas with highest incidence of 35 per cent from Gogamukh, followed by AAU-ZRS Gossaigaon (25%), KVK Jorhat (12%), KVK Borpeta (10%), KVK, Chirang (10%) and Paanjan Jorhat (5%). Stem gray blight disease of dragon fruit was recorded from three surveyed areas with highest disease incidence (25%) was recorded from Rongdoi Jorhat, followed by KVK Jorhat (12%) and Tinsukia (10%). Morphological and molecular study including pathogenicity test confirmed the pathogens as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium dimerum and Diaporthe phaseolorum causing stem anthracnose, stem rot and stem gray blight disease of dragon fruit. The diseases reported in the present study are new disease and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of anthracnose, stem rot and stem gray blight disease of dragon fruit in Assam.