06-08-2013, 04:36 PM
Efficacy of different fungicides against powdery mildew and yield of pea in dry temperate zone of Himachal Pradesh
ABSTRACT
Pea is the principal off season vegetable crop of dry temperate zone of Himachal Pradesh. As the climate in the valley is highly fluctuating and humidity is meager during the cropping season the crop becomes highly susceptible to powdery mildew (Erysiphae pisi) resulting in huge crop losses. Experiments were conducted during the years 2010 and 2011 cropping seasons as randomized block design at research farm of Dr. Y.S. Parmar Regional Horticultural Research Sub Station, Tabo, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh under natural conditions as well as protected conditions. Plants of variety Azad P1 were raised in thirty five plots of size, 2 x 2 meters. The seed was sown by broadcast method in all the plots. In all, six fungicides viz. Kitazin, Demethomorph, Difenoconazole, Hexaconazole, Propiconazole and Carbendazim sprayed at 15 days interval starting from the first appearance of the disease symptoms were evaluated against the disease. It was found that plots sprayed with hexaconazole exhibited minimum pooled disease severity (35.50 and 16.50 %, respectively) and maximum disease control (63.95 and 81.03 %, respectively) both under natural and protected conditions during both the crop seasons. As far as pod yield was concerned, it was found to be inversely proportional to disease levels, being maximum in the plots with minimum disease severity and vice versa under both 2010 and 2011 crop seasons.