Estimation of losses due to sterility mosaic disease in pigeonpea transmitted by eriophyid mite

Pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease caused bytenui virus particle. The virus is transmitted in nature by an eriophyid mite Aceria cajani is an economically important and cause considerable yield loss in recent years. The results on yield loss due to SMD infection indicated reduction in yield components of SMD infected plants and the magnitude of reduction increased (More number of infected branches indicated infection of SMD at an early stage of growth) with increase in the number of branches infected per plant the lower pod dry weight (1.6 g), pod number (2.80/plant) and yield (0.8/plant) with 98.68 per cent reduction in yield was healthy plants. The plants with less number of infections at later branches showed lower reduction in yield (42.0%) indicating that virus infection at lower stages of growth results in partial sterility which might be due to the restriction in the movement of SMD in matured plants.