Agricultural and Biological Research

Integrated disease management of sclerotinia rot of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) incited by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary

Vikash Kumar*

Chickpea is an annual legume crop grown in temperate and subtropical regions. It belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to Southwest Asia. Chickpea have been cultivated since ancient times in both Asia and Europe. India stands as the largest producer and consumer of chickpea globally, contributing roughly 75% of the world's total production. It is primarily consumed in various processed forms, such as boiled, roasted, fried or steamed whole seeds as well as in the form of dal and dal flour. They are commonly used in the preparation of snacks, sweets and condiments. Chickpea crop is prone to various diseases like, dry root rot (Rhizoctonia bataticola), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri), wet root rot (Rhizoctonia solani), collar rot (Sclerotium rolfsii), Aschochyta blight and Sclerotinia rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary). Among various diseases, Sclerotinia rot, also known as stem rot, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, is one of the most significant. It causes substantial yield losses, especially in cool and moist areas conducive to its development. The fungus's explosive pathogenicity and the resilience of its sclerotia contribute to its success as a pathogen. Due to its strict soil-borne nature and wide host range, managing this disease through host resistance or chemical management alone is challenging. Fungicides are commonly used to control plant diseases, but they pose environmental and health risks and can lead to environmental hazards. Therefore, integrated disease management using both bio-agents and fungicides is the best alternative. The results showed that Sclerotinia rot incidence in chickpeas was significantly reduced and yield increased when chemical and biocontrol agents were used together, compared to using either chemicals alone or biocontrol agents alone. Among the different treatments, the highest percent of disease control (81.40%) was found in T12-Seed Treatment (ST) with tebuconazole 2% DS at 1.5 g/kg seed+Soil Application (SA) at 10 kg/ha with Trichoderma harzianum, followed by T11-ST with tebuconazole 2% DS at 1.5 g/kg seed+SA at 10 kg/ha with Trichoderma viride (80.33%). The highest disease incidence was found in T8-ST with thiophanate methyl 70% WP at 2 g/kg seed (37.77%).