Cumin (Cuminum cvminum), an annual low growing herb native of Egypt and Syria, is now widely grown in India and on a small scale in some parts of Pakistan. Its fruit is chiefly employed as spices and medicine. The dry fruits are a rich source of thymol. They contain 17.2 % of protein and 13% of fat (Chopra ., 1958). The area under the valuable crop is expected to increase in the country. Cultivation of cumin is being tried under the Peshawar conditions. Work on the collection of information about the diseases of the crop was initiated and available literature on the subject was reviewed.

Joshi and Agnihotri (1958) described the symptoms, morphology and cultural characteristics of the fungus causing wilt-disease of cumin.

Mathur and Prasad (1962) recorded powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni DC), blight (Alternaria burnsii) and wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. cumini) diseases on cumin. Of these, wilt was the most serious one causing heavy losses to the crop. The average loss due to the disease was estimated to be 20%.