Chickpea Cultivation: Major Pests, Diseases, and Its Management

This nation has a long history of using chickpeas. It is believed to be one of the first pulses that have been grown and known about since ancient times in both Asia and Europe. India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Burma, and Turkey are important gram-producing nations. In terms of output and acreage, Pakistan is second in the globe, followed by India.

In India, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra are the main chickpeas-producing states. The major goal of this article is to educate farmers on chickpea pests and diseases and how to control them to ensure excellent yields of pulse crops in India.

Major Pests and Diseases of Chickpeas

Chickpea Wilt

Fusarium oxysporum f.Sp. ciceri is the primary cause of this illness, while other fungi are also linked to it. In most of the gram-growing locations, this illness results in a significant loss. The disease's signs can be noticed in both the seedling stage and a later stage of a plant's development. The leaves begin to turn yellow before drying up. The plants eventually dry out and become yellow as well. Roots eventually become black and disintegrate.

Control methods for chickpea wilt

• Carbendazim is applied to seeds at a dosage of 2.5 grams per kilogram of seeds. OR

• Three grams of carboxin and thiram per kilogram of seeds.

• Grow hardy plants like C-214, Avrodhi, Uday, BG-244, Pusa-362, JG-315, Phule G-5, and more types.

• For three to four years, chickpea production should be avoided in locations where gram wilt is prevalent.

• Chickpeas should not be sown before the third week of October, if at all feasible.

• Gram wilt incidence is decreased by planting chickpeas deeply in light soils, around 8 to 10 cm deep.

Chickpea Sclerotinia Blight

The fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is to blame. Except for the roots, all plants are affected by the illness. On the stem close to the ground, the infection is obvious in its early stages. Plants that are impacted initially become yellow, then brown and eventually dry out. Close inspection can reveal dark patches that subsequently encircle the afflicted stem. These areas on the stem can have white cottony fungal growth with firm, black sclerotia.

Control methods for chickpea sclerotinia blight

• Use only healthy, sclerotia-free seeds.

• Grow cultivars that are resistant to disease, such as G-543, Gaurav, Pusa-261, etc.

• After harvest, unhealthy plants shouldn't be left to rot in the field; instead, they should be burned to cinders.

• Treat the soil with a mixture of fungicides like Brassicol and Captan at the rate of 10 kg per hectare.

• Deep summer ploughing.

Chickpea's rust

Uromyces cicer arietini, a fungus, is the source of this disease. Early in February, the symptoms become apparent. Small, light, or dark brown pustules that range in shape from round to oval occur on the underside of the leaves. Later, the pustules become black. The top surfaces of leaves, petioles, twigs, and pods then develop these pustules. The afflicted leaves drop off early, which significantly lowers the output.

Control strategies for chickpea rust

• Spray 0.2% Mancozeb 75 WP on the crop as soon as the first symptoms show up, followed by two more applications spaced 10 days apart.

• Plant only hardy varieties, such as Gaurav.

Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Diseases

Ascochyta rabiei, a fungus that lives off of plant waste left in the soil, is the culprit behind this illness. Except for the base, every part of the plant is impacted. In January and February, tiny, spherical, yellowish-brown dots can be spotted on the leaves. The spots become longer and turn dark brown as they spread to the petioles and branches. Finally, the impacted plants dry up.

Control strategies for the chickpea disease Ascochyta Blight

• Sow only sound seeds. Apply fungicides like Thiram or Carbendazim (Bavistin) at a dosage of 2.5 g/kg of seed before sowing.

• Rotate your crops over three years.

• Plant tolerant or resistant types such as G-543, Pusa-256, Gaurav, GNG-146, and PBG-1, among others.

Beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua)

Symptoms

Round to irregularly shaped holes in the foliage, which can be isolated or found in groups. Young larvae that have been heavily fed cause the leaves to become skeletonized.

Management

Armyworms can be controlled organically by using Bacillus thuringiensis and biological control by natural enemies that parasitize the larvae; while there are chemicals available for commercial management, many of them are ineffective against the larvae in home gardens.

Chickpea Leaf Miner (Liriomyza cicerina)

Symptoms

Females lay eggs under the leaf surface, and newly hatched larvae damage the leaf by feeding on the inner tissues. This causes the development of winding white trails on the leaf surface. If feeding damage is extensive, the entire leaf can dry out and drop from the plant. Damage to young seedlings can cause the plant to die. Crop yield can also be affected.

Management

Chickpea cultivars with smaller leaves are less attractive to leafminers, and planting them in the early winter rather than the spring when insect populations are at lower damaging levels are cultural control method. Crop debris should also be ploughed deeply into the soil to kill overwintering pupae.

Black aphid (Aphis craccivora)

Symptoms

Aphids secrete a sticky, sugary substance called honeydew that promotes the growth of sooty mold on plants. The adult insect is small and soft-bodied and is easily distinguished from other aphids by its shiny-black colour. If the infestation is severe, plants can be killed. Seed fill and yield can also be reduced.

Management

Aphids should be carefully monitored, and if found, control measures should be put in place; Certain chickpea cultivars are more prone to aphid infestation than others; these cultivars include those with a low density of trichomes (leaf hairs); Although aphids in India have gained resistance to several pesticides, chemical treatment can still be necessary; Early planting encourages early closing of the plant canopy and slows the spread of viruses, among other cultural control techniques; Infestations of aphids are typically harsher when using wide plant spacing.