Fungicidal management powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni) in pea

Abstract

Pea is an important leguminous vegetable crop grown as main crop in Northern India during winter season. Powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe polygoni is a serious disease in pea especially during flowering and pod setting stage. Due to this disease the crop faces a yield loss of 20-30 % (Sharma and Singh 1987). In severe cases the powdery masses spread to entire crop foliage and later complete defoliation occurs. Management of this disease with chemical will help to develop integrated disease management practices. Though many fungicides are available for controlling powdery mildew disease in other crops till date there is no unequivocal fungicidal recommendation for the management of the disease in pea. With this view a set of fungicides was evaluated for their efficacy in controlling the disease under field conditions.