Intro: Ginger (Zingiber officinale), an important perennial rhizomatous herb indigenous to Southern Asia, is now widely cultivated for spices and drugs throughout the tropics. The feasibility of its introduction is being studied in Pakistan. Work on the collection of information on the diseases of the crop was initiated at the Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar and available literature on the subject was reviewed.

Ramakrishnan (1949) reported the occurrence of Pythium vexans on several hosts including ginger growing at elevations of over 915 m. The aerial shoots of ginger were found to turn yellow and wilt and rhizomes were rotten. The sysmptoms caused by the pathogen were similar to those of P. aphanidermatum and P. myriotylum, occurring at lower elevations, known as damaging agents to the crop. Besides, 50 to 90% of stored seed rhizomes are destroyed by the destructive pathogens if untreated.