Fight the Fungus: Cumin Crop Care Quiz Quiz

Dive into key concepts for managing fungal diseases in cumin crops to boost yield and crop health. Challenge your knowledge of identification, prevention, and sustainable control strategies.

1. Recognizing Common Fungal Threats

   Which fungal disease most frequently affects cumin and is identified by dark brown or black spots with concentric rings on leaves and stems?

   1. Rust
   2. Alternaria blight
   3. Powdery mildew
   4. Damping-off

   Explanation: Alternaria blight is distinguished by dark, concentric-ringed leaf spots and is the most prevalent fungal disease in cumin. Rust causes orange-red pustules, powdery mildew leaves a white powdery coating, and damping-off primarily attacks seedlings at the soil line rather than mature plant parts.

2. Sanitation Practices in Disease Prevention

   What is the most effective initial step to reduce the risk of fungal disease carryover in cumin crops?

   1. Increasing irrigation frequency
   2. Spraying foliar fertilizers
   3. Raising field temperature artificially
   4. Removing and destroying crop residues

   Explanation: Removing and destroying crop residues eliminates sources of overwintering fungal pathogens and reduces disease risk. Increasing irrigation can promote moisture-loving fungi, raising field temperature artificially is impractical, and foliar fertilizers do not prevent disease carryover.

3. Choosing Resistant Varieties

   If a farmer wants to minimize the impact of Alternaria blight without chemical intervention, which strategy should be prioritized?

   1. Delaying sowing until late in the season
   2. Applying nitrogen-rich fertilizers
   3. Planting disease-resistant cumin varieties
   4. Broadcasting seeds instead of row planting

   Explanation: Planting resistant varieties provides built-in protection against specific pathogens. Delaying sowing can alter disease pressure but is less reliable, nitrogen fertilizers do not target the disease, and broadcasting seeds impacts stand uniformity, not disease resistance.

4. Fungicide Use and Timing

   When is the most critical growth stage for applying fungicides to protect cumin from Alternaria blight?

   1. During seedling emergence
   2. Immediately after harvest
   3. At full seed maturity
   4. At the early flowering stage

   Explanation: The early flowering stage is critical for fungicide application because the disease is most likely to infect and spread then. Seedling emergence is usually threatened by damping-off, post-harvest applications do not protect the living crop, and full seed maturity is too late for effective intervention.

5. Role of Crop Rotation

   How does rotating cumin with non-host crops help manage fungal diseases in the field?

   1. It suppresses all weeds effectively
   2. It increases the fungal population in the soil
   3. It promotes the proliferation of cumin pathogens
   4. It disrupts the life cycle of crop-specific fungi

   Explanation: Rotating with non-host crops breaks the life cycle of specific fungi, reducing their buildup in the field. It does not increase fungal populations or cumin pathogens, and while crop rotation can aid weed management, it does not guarantee weed suppression.