Screening of Pea Varieties against Per Cent Leaf Damage Due to Leaf Miner (Chromatomyia horticola Goureau) under Field Condition

Pea varieties may differ in their susceptibility to leaf-miner damage under field conditions. This study assessed percentage leaf damage caused by Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau) in 18 pea varieties at the Entomological Research Field, College of Agriculture, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, during the Rabi seasons of 2022–23 and 2023–24. The field experiment followed a randomized block design with three replications. Observations were recorded weekly on five randomly selected plants per plot of each variety by counting total leaves and damaged leaves. Percentage leaf damage was compared across varieties and seasons, and susceptibility was categorized using the observations at 81 days after sowing, when damage was highest. Mean leaf damage ranged from 5.43% in Paras to 29.68% in Green Pearl during 2022–23 and from 5.07% to 28.25% during 2023–24. Across both seasons, Paras had the lowest overall mean damage (5.25%), followed by Kashi Nandani (5.85%). Green Pearl had the highest overall mean damage (28.97%), followed by Noori (26.90%). Paras, Kashi Nandani and Arka Ajit were classified as less susceptible; eleven varieties were moderately susceptible, and four were highly susceptible. None of the varieties was free from leaf-miner damage. These observations indicate differences in relative field susceptibility among the evaluated pea varieties under the conditions of the study.