Integrated disease management of collar rot in chickpea using cultural and chemical methods

Abstract:

Collar rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. has been a persistent constraint on chickpea production in the Australian Capital Territory for over three decades, yet no locally validated integrated management package exists. This research evaluated nine treatment combinations of cultural and chemical practices against collar rot in chickpea variety PBA HatTrick at Southern Tablelands University of Agriculture, Canberra, during the 2023 winter season. The integrated treatment of deep ploughing + Trichoderma viride seed treatment + carbendazim soil drench reduced disease incidence to 12.8% compared with 52.8% in the untreated control, representing a 75.8% reduction. Carbendazim alone achieved 59.5% disease reduction, while deep ploughing alone managed only 37.3%. Seed yield was highest (1.87 t/ha) under the integrated treatment, 48.4% above the control. These findings confirm that combining cultural disruption of sclerotial banks with biological and chemical seed-zone protection provides the most reliable collar rot management in chickpea.