Identification of resistant genotypes against major podborers and diseases in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to during Kharif, 2019 to identify the resistant genotypes towards major pod borers and diseases in pigeonpea. Observations on the larval population of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) at 50 per cent flowering stage ranged from 0.3 - 7.0 No.s / plant in all the pigeonpea genotypes tested with the lowest being obtained in Yelagiri local and the highest in ICP8840. The webcounts of Maruca vitrata (Geyer) ranged between 0.3-12.7 webs per plant. At the time of harvest, among the podborers, the pod damage caused due to Melanagromyza obtusa (Malloch) was comparatively high and recorded between 9.3-28.0 per cent. The pod damage caused by M.vitrata ranged from 1.3 – 30.5 per cent and H. armigera recorded 1.3-28.5 per cent. Out of seventy entries with ICP 8863 as check, sixty one entries were found to be highly susceptible, five entries were susceptible and three entries were moderately susceptible and AC9060 was moderately resistant to podborer complex. For sterility mosaic disease, fifteen entries were found to be susceptible expressing more than 30 per cent of infection. Thirty pigeonpea geonotypes expressed 10-30% infection with moderately resistance and twenty four were found to be resistant. Zero wilt incidence was recorded in twenty one entries and the remaining entries tested also exhibited only 1.8 to 6.9 per cent wilt incidence which confers their resistance to wilt.