Assessment of the distribution, incidence, and severity of Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) dieback disease in Pakistan.

Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) dieback disease has been a subject of great economic importance for the last few decades in South Asian countries. This disease prevails across the shisham growing geographical regions in these countries. Shisham dieback disease has been highlighted as a national forest problem in Pakistan. In this investigation, major shisham plantations of Pakistan were targeted for disease surveillance and monitoring. The extent of shisham dieback disease at different age classes of shisham plantations was also quantified. Surveillance data revealed, that shisham dieback disease is present in all surveyed shisham growing areas, including in areas where mild to no shisham dieback had been reported previously. A significant correlation was observed between different environmental variables (temperature (T), rain fall (RF), and relative humidity (RH) and disease development at (P < 0.01). T has negative correlation with RF (r= -0.793) and RH (r= -0.867). Infection prevails in different ecological zones depicted that environment has a minor role in disease development. Shisham dieback disease symptoms gain a seasonal peak from mid-February to end-March and mid-August to mid-October. Plants belonging to different age classes were exhibited different levels of disease incidence (20.95-28-2%). These findings will guide policy making and breeding programs with the goal of successful management of the shisham dieback disease and sustainable production of shisham in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]