White spots on curry leaves

[ashwinner]

Hi...
This is Ashwin from India. I have a few curry leaf plants in my garden. While some of the places are fine, others have white spots on the leaves. Need help in identifying what these spots are and how I can get rid of them

[applestar]

I'm only guessing and thinking out loud because I don't have experience growing this plant and besides, I have no experience at all with kinds of pests and disease you have there... but to me, those marks look like what tiny sucking pests would leave -- typically the kind that congregate on the underside of the leaves. Have you turned the leaves over and looked? Are there any sticky residues? Are there any ants shepherding the sucking pests?

It bothers me that the marks are absolutely evenly distributed all over the plant -- have not seen anything like that -- could it be that severe an infestation? Honestly, if the leaves grew like that from the beginning and are otherwise healthy, I would think this was some kind of a special plant ...hmmm some kind of virus?

Fungal issues or pests would have started out on a few leaves and then spread I think. I suppose fungal disease could spring up overnight.... if something was sprayed to cause these marks, then it would have to have been a very careful, even coverage, and it doesn't seem likely unless purposefully sprayed that way.

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

I have never had this happen on my curry tree. It is often attacked by scale insects while indoors for the winter, but they are brown, and under the leaves. As apple noted, maybe it is a fungal disease. It is in the citrus family, so you may want to research cutrus diseases. imafan26 knows a lot about citrus, so maybe she can offer some advise.

[Curry1]

My plant got same problem. Can we eat these white spotted leaves?
Subject: Can we eat white spots curry leaves

[imafan26]

I have murraya koenigii, but it has very few pest problems. The aromatic leaves are repellent to most pests. Even the white flies don't bother it. I did find that is is susceptible to some things like scale, powdery mildew, phytophthora, and phyllostictina murrayae (curry leaf spot). I found a file picture of a curry leaf with the same symptoms. As the disease progresses the spots will become sunken brown and more necrotic. As an added bonus I found out that curry leaf is a favorite host plant of the Asian citrus psyllid which causes Huanglongbing disease on citrus trees. The curry leaf is immune and even if the psyllid feeds on it, it does not contract or pass on the disease. Curry plant is being investigated as a possible host trap plant to try to control the psyllid.

However, I did find out what your problem is a fungal disease.

There was no information about the leaves being edible, but I usually don't eat any leaves infested with fungi. To prevent the spread of spores, I suggest removing the plant and do not replant in the same place. Cool wet conditions favor the disease.

Your plants look close to a fence. Better air circulation and a sunny location might help. It never gets really cool here. 49 degrees has been the lowest I have seen and it was just for a day. My plant has to be pruned a few times a year to keep it from becoming a tree. It is already over my head now and I am in the process of cutting the trunk down to a more manageable height. I have to cut off the flowers so it does not set seed.

https://books.google.com/books?id=4yb-V ... ot&f=false

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllosticta

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29648945