Pathogenic Variability Among Chickpea Wilt Fusaria

Abstract

Twenty four isolates of Fusarium oxysportum f. sp. ciceri (Padwick) Snyder and Hansen, a causal agent of wilt disease of chickpea, were collected from seven states of India. They were tested for pathogenic variability on a set of differential lines. Foliar symptoms including sudden drooping of terminal leaves, chlorosis of leaflets and internal discolouration of root tissues were observed on the inoculated chickpea differential lines. Minimum days were required to manifest foliar symptoms such as the sudden drooping of terminal leaves followed by cholorosis of leaflets with drooping and chlorosis of leaflets without drooping. Sudden drooping of terminal leaves proceeded by early wilting while late wilting was preceded by leaf chlorosis. Internal root discolouration commonly prevailed in all inoculated differential lines irrespective of wilting. Based on disease reactions displayed by eleven standard differential chickpea lines, at least ten pathogenic groups were seem to be existed among the test isolates of chickpea wilt Fusaria.