Physiological studies on Fusarium equiseti and Fusarium chlamydosporum, the cause of pod rot disease in mungbean [vigna radiata (L.) wilczek] in India

Mungbean is an important pulse crop grown in different seasons, viz., Kharif, rabi and summer in India. Pod rot disease, caused by Fusarium equiseti and Fusarium chlamydosporum, is emerging as a destructive disease affecting the quantity and quality of mungbean worldwide. Climatic factors like temperature and pH influence the growth, survival and infestation of these pathogens. In the present study, response of F. equiseti and F. chlamydosporum to different temperature and pH was assessed by analyzing there in vitro growth rate (mm/day) on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium. The results from the study revealed that the temperature range 25–35⁰C and pH range 5.5–7.5 was found conducive for growth F. equiseti and F. chlamydosporum and pod rot development. This attributes make F. equiseti and F. chlamydosporum a widely distributed and potent pathogen of mungbean.