Screening of blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) germplasm for resistance to Fusarium wilt under multi-season field conditions

The present study evaluated forty blackgram germplasms across multiple seasons (kharif 2023, rabi 2023–24 and kharif 2024) and the results showed significant variation in how they responded to Fusarium wilt (Fusarium solani). The wide range of wilt incidence across the evaluated germplasm reflects considerable genetic diversity and varying levels of disease resistance within the population. Five germplasms, such as BGGP 20, BGGP 39, BGGP 47, IPU-94-4 and OBG-33 regularly exhibited very low wilt percentages (≤ 1 %) (P < 0.05), indicating stable and high-level resilience across seasons. Germplasm such as BGGP 11, BGGP 18, BGGP 22, BGGP 23, BGGP 25, IPU-11-02 and OBG-41 showed wilt levels between 3–9 % with little seasonal variation, indicating a moderate level of resistance. Highly susceptible germplasms, on the other hand, like BGGP 13, BGGP 16, BGGP 49, Junagarh local and Lanjigarh local continuously showed high wilt incidence ranges from 21–24 %, indicating their susceptibility to disease pressure. The existence of both vulnerable and resistant groups emphasizes how well multi-season screening works to find reliable sources of resistance. The high temperature with high rainfall was increasing the percentage of wilt incidence during kharif season comparatively rabi season. The identified resistant germplasms which are recommend for resistance breeding programme to develop Fusarium wilt-resistant blackgram varieties and increase blackgram production.