Wilt and Root Rot Complex of Important Pulse Crops: Their Detection and Integrated Management

Abstract

Pulses are the protein-rich commodity which fulfils the protein requirement of vegetarian population of our country. India being on the top in pulse production has come a long way from a pulse-deficient country to self-sufficient one. In India, major pulse crops grown are gram, red gram, black gram, green gram, field pea and lentil in major pulse-growing areas of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Bihar. In spite of the country’s self-sufficiency in pulse production, there is an increasing gap in supply and demand. Therefore to bridge this gap, it is required to overcome the major obstacles, viz. unpromising weather, several agronomic limitations, insect-pests and diseases and inappropriate marketing of pulses. Out of all these, the effect of microbes on plant growth and development has become a major apprehension among the pulse growers of India. Among various biotic stresses, fungal pathogens are important because of their ability to infect all parts of the plant at all stages of the growth. Mainly the soilborne pathogens causing wilts and root rots have been a matter of worry for sustainable production of pulses since couple of years. The complex nature of these diseases further aggravates the problem. In recent past, we were just focussing on disease management through chemicals. But with the increasing awareness regarding health hazards caused by the intake of pesticide-rich food, nowadays we are shifting from sole use of chemicals to integrated management strategies. In this chapter, we will discuss the different wilts and root rots causing considerable losses to important Indian pulse crops and their integrated/holistic management. In addition to this, recent diagnostic methods used for early and timely detection will also be discussed.