Integrated Management of Charcoal Rot and Its Influence on Seed Yield and Quality in Soybean

Charcoal rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) causes high grain yield loss in major soybean-growing nations worldwide. The present study aimed to reveal the effect of stage-wise charcoal rot incidence and their root and stem severity index on the yield criteria of soybean varieties. Additionally, an attempt was made to derive integrated management practices and their influence on seed quality. All the twelve varieties were affected by charcoal rot, and its incidence and root and stem severity index were high in Shivalik (48.5% and 3.7, respectively). In yield estimation, the percentage of yield loss ranged from 8.7% (JS 20-98) to 53.9% (Shivalik). Percent yield loss had a strong significant positive relation with percent incidence (0.912**) and Root and Stem severity index (0.813**) of charcoal rot. Seed treatment of Penflufen 13.28% + Trifloxystrobin 13.28 % FS @ 1ml/kg followed by spraying of tebuconazole 25% EC @ 0.1 % spraying at 45,60,75 days was significantly superior in reducing charcoal rot (19.7%) in comparison to untreated (37.3%). The highest seed germination (80.0 %) and least association with M. phaseolina (13.33%), Aspergillus flavus (3.33%), Fusarium sp., (13.34%) in comparison to control (50, 36.67, 23.33 and 36.67 %, respectively) were also resulted from the seed obtained from above treatment. In bioagent, seed treatment of T. harzianum @ 10 gm/kg followed by foliar spray of tebuconazole 25% EC @ 0.1% at 45,60,75 days was the second-best combination among all treatments in all respects. The effect of these fungicides and bio agents as seed treatment also improved the number of branches, pods, 100 seed weight and yield. Hence, these combinations could be applied to minimize charcoal rot and yield losses in soybean.

Occurrence and Distribution of Lentil Wilt in Major Lentil Growing Regions of Madhya Pradesh, India

In the present investigation, roving survey was conducted during the October to February of 2020–2021 and 2021–22 to acquire information on the natural disease incidence and distribution of lentil wilt in the farmers’ fields in eight different districts of Madhya Pradesh. A pooled mean of disease incidence ranging from 6.62%–20.36% was observed during 2020–22. The district wise scenario of lentil wilt over a period of two consecutive years revealed that maximum average incidence of 18.96% was recorded in Sagar district followed by 17.67% in Khandwa district. However, minimum average wilt incidence of 12.17% was recorded in Mandla district followed by 12.55% in Jabalpur district. Looking to the occurrence of lentil wilt, Sagar, Khandwa, Damoh, Katni and Dindori were identified as hotspot pockets for occurrence of lentil wilt in surveyed districts of Madhya Pradesh. Further, reduction of 26.28% in wilt occurrence was recorded in the farmers’ practice advocated as seed treatment before sowing. Under the seven cropping patterns observed, the minimum wilt incidence of 13.96% was recorded in rice followed by lentil which is the most predominant cropping pattern across the surveyed locations. Further different varieties were screened for occurrence of lentil wilt at Sagar. Among the 14 varieties, maximum incidence of lentil wilt was recorded in PL 5 followed by Shekhar masoor 3. However, two varieties namely JL 1 and L 4076 were found free from wilt incidence in selected hot spot pocket for lentil wilt.

Screening of Pearl Millet Lines against Downy Mildew Incited by Sclerospora graminicola (Sacc.) J. Schrot in Madhya Pradesh, India

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is the oldest cultivated crop prone to attack by many pathogens viz., Sclerospora graminicola, Moesziomyces penicillariae and Puccinia substriata. The present investigation is on the management of the downy mildew pathogen by exploiting the resistance mechanism of the host. Out of 163 lines and two checks were tested against downy mildew disease. The germplasms were screened in the downy mildew sick plot. The finding exposes that 40 lines were never present of downy mildew and another 68 lines showed < 5% and > 10% downy mildew incidence was recorded in 23 lines and remaining 33 lines were recorded in the category of 5-10% incidence, while a maximum of 83.27 and 97.05% downy mildew incidence was noted in 7042-S at 30 and 60 days after sowing. When compared to all the test lines, the susceptible check 7042-S showed considerably greater incidence of downy mildew at 30 and 60 days. The present investigation suggests that the resistance in the Pearl millet germplasms can be exploited for the management of the pathogens and is an effective management practice with less use of inputs.