Which disease was introduced to India through plant introduction?
Historical evidence documents inadvertent pathogen establishment via planting material. Coffee rust caused by Hemileia vastatrix, basidiomycete producing orange urediniospores on lower leaf surface causing chlorosis and premature defoliation, originated in Sri Lanka then Ceylon and entered India in 1876 through infected seedlings imported for plantation expansion. Epidemic destroyed Arabica areas in Western Ghats, forcing shift to robusta Coffea canephora which carries resistance SH genes. Similar introductions: late blight Phytophthora infestans through Europe, bunchy top virus of banana via
Ref: Indian Coffee Board history rust introduction; NCERT Plant Disease introduction case; Singh BD Disease introduction chapter.
