Survey and surveillance of major fungal diseases in lentil growing areas

Abstract:

Lentil is Jharkhand’s most important Rabi pulse, yet field-level disease maps haven’t been updated since 2008. This research surveyed fungal diseases across five major lentil-growing districts of Jharkhand—Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Palamu, and Hazaribagh—during Rabi 2022 and 2023. A total of 120 fields (24 per district) were sampled at flowering and pod-fill stages. Rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae) was the most prevalent disease, present in 87% of fields with mean incidence of 28.4%. Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis) ranked second at 72% prevalence and 19.7% incidence. Stemphylium blight, Botrytis grey mould, and powdery mildew were also recorded. District-wise, Ranchi showed the highest rust pressure (34.1%) while Palamu had the highest wilt incidence (26.3%). Severity correlated with January rainfall (r = 0.78 for rust) and soil pH below 5.5 (r = 0.71 for wilt). These updated baseline data can guide targeted fungicide scheduling, resistant variety deployment, and future breeding priorities.