Efficacy of bio-agents and organic amendment against fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri) of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the important pulse crops of India and is affected by many diseases, among which fusarium wilt is the most important disease which causes yield losses up to early wilting causes 77–94%, while late wilting causes 24–65%. A research was carried out for the management of chickpea wilt using bio-agents and organic amendment. Three bio-agents and two organic amendments and a fungicide (treated check) were evaluated for their efficacy under in vivo against induced by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri. The biocontrol agents, organic amendments and carbendazim were tested against chickpea wilt under field conditions during Rabi season 2023-24. Among all the treatments, seed treatment with carbendazim @ 2 g/kg seed was found most effective in the disease (%) with (10%) as treated control, followed by seed treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g/kg (12.22%), Trichoderma harzianum @ 10 g/kg (15%), Bacillus subtilis @ 10 g/kg (16.66), soil application with groundnut cake 500 kg/ha (18.89%), neem cake 500 kg/ha (18.33%) as compared to untreated check. Also plant height (cm), number of branches, dry shoot weight, dry root weight and grain yield were found to be maximum in Pseudomonas fluorescens (52.13 cm plant height, 5.07 no. of branches per plant, 8.40 g dry shoot weight, 1.23 g dry root weight and yield 16.33 q/ha, respectively) followed by Trichoderma harzianum (50.69 cm plant height, 4.80 no. of branches per plant, 8.26 g dry shoot weight, 1.16 g dry root weight and yield 15.17 q/ha, respectively), Bacillus subtilis (48.83 cm plant height, 4.40 no. of branches per plant, 8.12 g dry shoot weight, 1.13 g dry root weight and yield 14.00 q/ha, respectively), groundnut cake (46.78 cm plant height, 4.33 no. of branches per plant, 7.98 g dry shoot weight, 1.13 g dry root weight and yield 13.50 q/ha, respectively). Among the treatments neem cake exhibited minimum effect on growth parameters and yield compared to untreated check and treated check (carbendazim) and C:B ratio is highest in Pseudomonas fluorescens (1:2.45) followed by Trichoderma harzianum (1:2.20), Bacillus subtilis (1.1.96), groundnut cake (1.0.64) and neem cake (1.0.58).