Introduction

This is a seedborne disease favoured by humid conditions. 

Symptoms

Initial symptoms includes gray or dark brown lesions on leaflets, branches and pods, which coalesces in severe conditions. Yellowing and shedding of leaves are common symptoms leading to necrotic parts bears brown fluffy tuft downy growth. Infected plants bears the small pods with shriveled seeds or no seeds at all.  

Management  

• Deep ploughing of chickpea fields to bury debris.

• Use clean certified seeds treated with Bavistin 50 wp. 

• Practice crop rotation with wheat or mustard. 

• Increase plant to plant and row to row spacing to felicitate free air movement to prevent built-up of humid conducive conditions.

• Use resistant varieties. 

• Incase of severe infection spray the crop with recommended fungicides.