Wilt disease in Gram
Economic importance:
• The annual losses due to wilt have been estimated at US $ 71 million in
India.
• It is prevalent in A.P., Maharashtra, M.P., U.P and Bihar.
Etiology:
Pathogen: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. udum
• The fungus produces hyaline, septate mycelium.
• Microconidia are hyaline, small, elliptical or curved, single celled or
Fusarium oxysporum
two celled.
• Macroconidia are also hyaline, thin walled, linear, curved or fusoid,
pointed at both ends with 3-4 septa.
• The fungus also produces thick walled, spherical or oval, terminal or
intercalary chlamydospores singly or in chains of 2 to 3.
Wilt disease in Gram
Symptoms:
• The diseases may appear from early stages of plant growth (4-6 week old
plant) up to flowering and podding.
• The leaves of affected plants turn yellow droop prematurely and within 3-
4 days the plant wilt.
• In 6-week all the ages of plant wilt, the disease spread in concentric circle
to near by plant.
• In sever condition death of more than 50% plant occur.
• Black lesions of varying size with irregular margin seen on the stem and
tap root.
• Vascular tissues exhibit brown to black discolouration.
• Partial wilting of the plant is a definite indication of Fusarium wilt and
distinguishes from Phytophthora blight that kills the whole plant.
Wilt disease in Gram
Disease cycle:
• The fungus may be seed-borne and survives in infected plant debris in soil.
• The primary infection is through chlamydospores in soil, which remain viable upto next crop season.
• The weed hosts also serve as a source of inoculum.
• The secondary spread is through irrigation water, cultural operations and implements.
Predisposing factors:
• High soil temperature (Above 25°C), high soil moisture, monocropping and presence of weed hosts like
Cyperus rotundus, Tribulus terrestris and Convolvulus arvensis.
Management:
• Treat the seeds with Carbendazim or Thiram at 2 g/kg.
• Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg or Pseudonomas fluorescens @ 10g/kg of seed.
• Apply heavy doses of organic manure or green manure.
• Follow 6-year crop rotation with non-host crops.
• Grow resistant cultivars like Kranthi (ICCC 37), Swetha (ICCV-2), ICCV 10, Avrodhi, G 24, C 214,
BG 244, Pusa 212 and JG 315
Grey mould in Gram
• Gray mold rot, also called gray mold blight or botrytis blight.
• It is a disease of plants growing in humid areas that is caused by fungi in
the genus Botrytis, usually B. cinerea.
• Most vegetables, fruits, flowers, and woody plants are susceptible.
Etiology:
Pathogen: Botrytis cinerea
• Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant
species.
• Botrytis forms two types of resting structures on or in infected plant
tissue:
Botrytis cinerea
1) Very dark brown or black multi-celled structures called sclerotia.
2) Single-celled, thick, dark walled chlamydospores.
Grey mould in Gram
Symptoms:
• B. cinerea is a soft rot that will have a collapsed and water-soaked
appearance on soft fruit and leaves.
• Brown lesions may develop slowly on undeveloped fruit.
• Twigs infected with gray mold will die back.
• Blossoms will cause fruit drop and injury, such as ridging on
developing and mature fruit.
• Symptoms are visible at wound sites where the fungus begins to rot the
plant.
• Gray masses with a velvety appearance are conidia on the plant tissues
are a sign of plant pathogen. These conidia are asexual spores that will
continue to infect the plant and surrounding hosts throughout the
growing season making this a polycyclic disease.
• Plants can produce localized lesions when a pathogen attacks.
Grey mould in Gram
Disease cycle:
Primary infection: The fungus survives on infected seed, as a saprophyte on decaying plant debris and as soil-
borne sclerotia.
Secondary infection: These fungal spores can be carried from plant to plant by air currents and spread the
disease rapidly.
Favourable conditions:
• High soil temperature (Above 25°C), high soil moisture, monocropping and presence of weed hosts like
Cyperus rotundus, Tribulus terrestris and Convolvulus arvensis.
Management:
• Treat the seeds with Carboxin + Thiram (Vitavax power)at 2 g/kg.
• Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg or Pseudonomas fluorescens @ 10g/kg of seed.
• Apply heavy doses of organic manure or green manure.
• Follow 6-year crop rotation with non-host crops.
Ascochyta blight in Gram
• Grain yield and quality losses up to 100%.
• The disease is worldwide in distribution, first described in India by Butler in 1911.
• The occurrence of AB of chickpea has been reported from 35 countries across six continents.
• 20 epidemics region occurred in Pakistan, India and European countries.
• In 1998 there was a serious outbreak of the disease in Victoria, South Australia and New South
Wales which destroyed many crops.
Etiology:
Pathogen: Ascochyta rabiei or also called Ascochyta rabiei
• Ascochyta rabiei (exists both as an anamorph (asexual) and teleomorph (sexual) Didymella rabiei.
• Mycelium-pale cream coloured.
• Fruiting bodies
• Asexual- Pycnidia
• Sexual- Pseudothecia.
Ascochyta blight in Gram
• Spores
Asexual- Pycnidiospores
Sexual- Ascospores
• The conidia are oval to oblong, one to two celled, thin walled and
hyaline but pinkish in mass and measuring 9-20 × 3-6µ.
• They germinate in water with long germ tubes.
Ascochyta rabiei
Ascochyta blight in Gram
Symptoms:
• The initial symptom of the disease appears near the tip of young
shoot and top most leaves.
• The fungus attacks all above-ground plant parts like leaves, stems
and pods at any stage of the plant growth.
• But plants are most susceptible to disease during flowering.
• Pale green-yellow, circular, depressed lesions appeared on leaves
and pods.
• Elongated lesions on petioles and stem.
• Stem lesions often gridle the stem of the plant.
• Pycnidia may be formed on these lesions usually in concentric
rings.
• Infected seed may discolored, shriveled and pycnidia may be
present on such seeds.
Ascochyta blight in Gram
Disease cycle:
• The fungus survives in the infected plant debris as pycnidia.
• The pathogen is also externally and internally seed-borne.
• The primary spread is from seed-borne pycnidia and plant debris in the soil.
• The secondary spreads is mainly through air-borne conidia.
• Rain splash also helps in the spread of the disease.
Predisposing factors:
• Night temperatures of 10°C and day temperature of 20°C, rains accompanied by cloudy weather
and excessive canopy favour the disease spread.
Management:
• Grow resistant/tolerant varieties like Gaurav, C 235, G 543, GG 588, GG 688, BG 261 and GNJ 214.
• Remove and destroy the infected plant debris in the field.
• Follow crop rotation with cereals.
• Deep sowing of seeds, i.e., 15cm or deeper.
• Intercropping with wheat, barley and mustard.
• Treat the seeds with Thiram 2g or Carbendazim 2 g /kg.
