Class: B. Sc. (Ag.

) Third year
Semester: Second
Subject: Diseases of Field & Horticultural Crops & their Management-II
Topic: Diseases of Gram and their Management
Name of course teacher: D. K. Pancheshwar
Name of the College: Raja Bhoj College of Agriculture, Balaghat, MP

Gram (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop grown and consumed all over the
world. Bengal gram is the most important pulse crop in India and occupies about 38 % of area
under pulse and contributes about 50 % of the total pulse production of India. It is used for
human consumption as well as for feeding to animals. Chickpea is considered to have medicinal
effects and it is used for blood purification. It is a good source of carbohydrates, protein,
important vitamins, Ca, Mg, P and especially K are also present in chickpea seeds. It could have
beneficial effects on some of the important human diseases such as type 2 diabetes, digestive
diseases and some cancers. Overall, chickpea is an important pulse crop with a diverse array of
potential nutritional and health benefits. Chickpea production is constrained by disease and
insect pest. In general, soil borne diseases like Fusarium wilt are more prevalent in central and
peninsular India, whereas foliar diseases such as ascochyta blight and botrytis grey mould are
important in northern, northern-western and eastern India. Among the diseases, diagnostic
symptoms and their control measures are as follows.

1. WILT
Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.ciceri

Symptoms of the disease

The disease may appear from early stages of plant growth up to flowering and podding. The
disease appears as gradual withering and drying of plants. Yellowing of leaves and blackening of
stem starting from collar to branches which gradually result in drooping and premature drying of
leaves, stems, branches and finally death of plant. Vascular tissues exhibit brown discoloration.
Often only one side of the stem and root system is affected resulting in partial wilting.

 The disease can affect the crop at any stage.

 The field symptoms of wilt are dead seedlings or adult plants, usually in patches.
 At seedling stage, 3-5 weeks after sowing, whole seedlings collapse and lie flat on the
ground with dull green leaves and shrunken stem.
 Dark brown or dark discoloration of the internal stem tissues is visible.
 At adult stage, drooping of petioles, rachis and leaflets and finally entire plant occurs.
 The fungus enters the vascular system of the infected plant via the roots. It produces
enzymes that degrade the cell walls so that gels are formed that block the plant’s transport
system. Discolouration of the internal tissues progresses from the roots to the aerial parts of the
plant, yellowing and wilting of the foliage occur, and finally there is necrosis.

It is possible to identify affected seedlings approximately three weeks after sowing as

they display preliminary symptoms such as drooping and pale-coloured leaves. Later they
collapse to a prostrate position and will be found to have shrunken stems both above and below
ground level. When adult plants are affected, they exhibit wilting symptoms which progress from
the petioles and younger leaves in two or three days to the whole plant. The older leaves
develop chlorosis while the younger leaves stay a dull green. At a later stage of the disease, all
leaves turn yellow. Discolouration of the pith and xylem occurs in the roots and can be seen
when they are cut longitudinally.

Etiology of the Pathogen

The fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.ciceri is a common soil inhabitant pathogen
produces hyaline, septate mycelium and three types of asexual spores: macroconidia,
microconidia and chlamydospores.

The macroconidia are hyaline, thin walled, linear, curved or fusoid, pointed at both ends
with 3-4 septa. They are generally produced
from phialides on conidiophores by basipetal division. They are important in secondary
infection.

The microconidia are hyaline, small, elliptical or curved and have either no septum or a
single one. They are formed from phialides in false heads by basipetal division. They are
important in secondary infection.
 The fungus also produce thick walled, spherical or oval, terminal or
intercalary chlamydospores singly or in chains of 2 to 3.The chlamydospores are formed
from hyphae or alternatively by the modification of hyphal cells. They are important as
endurance organs in soils where they act as inocula in primary infection.
The teleomorph, or sexual reproductive stage, of F. oxysporum is unknown.

a: microconidia; b: macroconidia; c: chlamydospores .

Favourable conditions
 Soil temperature of 17-25˚C.
 Continuous cultivation of redgram in the same field.
Disease cycle
The fungus survives in the infected stubbles in the field. The primary spread is by soil-borne
chlamydospores and also by infected seed. Chlamydospores remain viable in soil for 8-20 years.
The secondary spread in the field is through irrigation water and implements.
Management

 Deep summer ploughing

 Follow crop rotation measures continuously.
 Always use disease free seeds.
 Avoid sowing when temperatures are high.
 Follow 6-year crop rotations with sorghum
 Apply FYM 10-15 cart load/ha.
 Seed treatment with T. viride @4g/kg or P. fluorescens @ 10g/ kg of seed or
Carbendazim + Thiram (1:2) or Corboxin + thiram (1:2) @ 3g/kg of seed.
 Spot drenching with Carbendazim 1g/lit or P. fluorescens / T. viride 2.5 kg/ha with 50 kg
FYM.
 2. Ascochyta blight
Caused by Ascochyta rabiei

Ascochyta blight was first described in 1911 by E.J. Butler from the North-West Frontier
Province of India. It is problematic at cooler temperature 20°C with 17 h of leaf wetness. Little
infection will occur at temperatures outside the range of 5-30°C or without leaf wetness. The
perfect stage of the disease is Mycospharella rabiei.

Symptom

 All plant parts are affected.

 Symptoms appear on leaves as water soaked lesions.
 Symptoms include smaller circular brown spots on leaves.
 Under favorable conditions, these spots enlarge rapidly and coalesce, blighting the leaves
and buds.
 In case of severe infection, the entire plant dries up suddenly.
 The lesions are also developed on stems and petioles.
 Late infections result in shriveled and infected seed.
 The disease is seed borne in nature.
 Left over debris in the fields serve as a source.
 Wet and warm weather, and dense crop canopy are conducive to the spread of the disease

Circular to oval lesions on chickpea pods and leaf containing pycnidia arranged in concentric rings
 The first symptoms are small necrotic specks on newer leaves or stems
 Necrotic specks enlarge and coalesce to form large necrotic lesions (6-12 mm in diameter)
on young leaves and buds.
 Lesions forming on pods and leaves are primarily circular to oval (up to 0.5 cm), containing
concentric rings of pycnidia.
 Lesions on petioles and stems are usually elongate, but also will contain pycnidia arranged in
circular patterns.
 Stem lesions vary greatly in size, becoming 3 to 4 cm in length, and often girdling stems
resulting in breakage.

Disease cycle:

The blight causing pathogen is seed borne in nature and can overwinter in the field on
stubble for several year. In spring, sexual spores (ascospore) are produced in field stubble or seed
and dispersed by wind. Ascospore dispersal can continue for several weeks and usually occure
before or at flowering. The spore can travel up to five miles which allows disease spread to new
areas rapidly.

Management

 Sow disease-free seed.

 Follow rotation crop.
 Agronomical manipulation like delayed sowing, wider row, intercropping with cereals or
mustered.
• Hot water seed treatment (52 C for 10 min) to lower the infestation.
• Use of resistant/tolerant cultivars
• Destruction of host weeds and plant debris.
• Seed treatment with Thiram, thiobendazole, hexacap, captaf @ 3 g/Kg seed.
• Application of 2-3 sprays of Dithane M -45 or chlorothalonil @ 0.3 %.
 3. Grey mould
Caused by Botrytis cineria (Botrytis grey mould) BGM

Botrytis grey mould disease is destructive in north east and north-west plains of
India. It is epidemic under high humidity and mild temperature in Tarai region.The
flowers and buds show first symptoms with appearance of grey and brown lesions. The
patches of lodged and dead plants can be seen in the field

Symptom

 Lack of pod setting is the first indication.

 Under favourable conditions, foliage shows symptoms and plants often die in patches.
 Shedding of flowers and leaves, covered with spore mass can be seen.
 Lesions on stem are 10-30 mm long and girdle the stem fully.
 Tender branches break off at the point where the gray mold has caused rotting.
 Affected flowers turn in to a rotting mass.
 Lesions on the pod are water-soaked and irregular.
 On infected plants, the pods contain either small, shriveled seeds or no seeds at all.

Detection of Botrytis grey mould

• Infected dry seed appear discolored, shrunken and mummified.

• Greyish mycelium can be seen on seed surface

• Sclerotia may also occur as mixtures in seed lots, which gray, black, and irregular shape.

• On incubated seeds, the fungal growth consists of long, slender and erect conidiphore,
branched at apex.
 Management of the Disease

 Avoid excessive vegetative growth.

 Intercrop with linseed.
 Avoid excessive irrigation. Use compact varieties.
 Deep summer ploughing Reduce plant density and increase in air passage between the
plants.
 Seed treatment with Carbendazim + Thiram (1:1) @ 3g/kg of seed is recommended or
Spray the crop with Captan 5 - 6 kg/ha at 15 days interval or Spray of Carbendazim @
1.5g/lit of water is recommended or Spray Mancozeb @ 3 g/lit of water.