Identification of hot spots of rust disease in cowpea during different cropping seasons in northern Karnataka

Extensive survey carried out to assess the severity of cowpea rust disease in four districts of northern Karnataka viz., Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Haveri during kharif, rabi and summer seasons of 2014-15 registered maximum mean severity of cowpea rust in Dharwad district (35.29%) followed by Belagavi (34.06%) and Haveri district (31.38%). The minimum severity was noticed in Bagalkot district (29.98%). The severity of rust varied in kharif (39.30%), rabi (21.76%) and summer (17.55%), and places such as MARS, Dharwad, Inchal and Yattinagudda were identified as hotspots for cowpea rust in northern Karnataka. Survey gave information about existence of variability among the pathogen, in particular agro climatic zones, and the intensity with which it affected the yield and quality.