Cultural and morphological variability in isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi causing wilt of pea from district of Khandwa, India

Abstract

Pea is one of the most important pulse crops in India which is grown all over the world as a field crop and green peas as vegetable. Wilt of pea is well known for the drastic cause of decrease in yield. The pathogen presents all the crop growing area in Madhya Pradesh. A survey was conducted during Rabi 2024 in the four blocks of Khandwa district to record disease incidence around the district. The disease pressure was varied in between the 16.9% Bhilwadi village of Harsud block to Chamati (11.4%) under Pandhana block. the morphological and cultural studies were performed in the collected 12 isolates during the survey. The growth pattern varied between fluffy, cottony and compact growth and the colony color varied among colony color white, pink white, pale violet and white pinkish colony growth. All the isolates also varied with their pigmentation released in the culture media as purple, yellowish, light purple, brownish, pale purple to no pigmentation. The highest macroconidia size was varied the isolates length ranged between 29.0­-32.5 µm with width 3.8-4.4 µm, suggesting potentially higher sporulation capacity and the lowest macroconidia length and width ranged between 21.8-25.4 µm & 2.7-3.2 µm, which was indicative of a less aggressive.