Environment presents various kinds of stress to the growing plants and plays an important role in determining the productivity specially in case of food crops. Amongst these stresses, biotic stress is the one which has got prominent role in deciding the productivity of a crop in a season. Biotic stress poses a serious threat to the crop productivity which enhances the use of insecticide and pesticide on the crops. Millets provides an ideal gene pool for its resistance against various diseases caused from the pathogens. This makes them the first choice amongst the farmers for their plantations and cultivations at various altitudes in different seasons. This review comprehensively provides an insight into the disease resistance in millets and various mechanisms and aspects associated with it.

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) of family Euphorbiaceae is indigenous to eastern Africa and most probably originated in Ethiopia. It is widely distributed throughout the tropics, sub-tropics and temperate regions of the world. India is largest producer in the world and contributes 55-60 per cent of global production. The plant has several bioactive compounds or secondary metabolites that having medicinal and antimicrobial properties. In India, it has been documented since 2000 BC for lighting lamps and in local medicine. It is used as laxative, purgative and cathartic in Unani, Ayurvedic and other ethnomedical systems. The yield of crop reduced due to attack of several pathogens like fungi, bacteria, virus, mycoplasma and nematode diseases throughout the world which causes severe losses, reduces plating and market value of the crop. The main diseases are root rot, gray rot, seedling blight, alternaria blight, leaf blight, brown leaf spot, cotton rot, grey mold; inflorescence and stem rot, fruit rot, charcoal rot, wilt, leaf rust, powdery mildew, bacterial blight and leaf spot.