Studies on pod blight of soybean incited by Colletotrichum truncatum

Anthracnose / pod blight caused by Colletotrichum truncatum (Schw.) Andrus and Moore has been reported as major constraint in the successfully cultivation of soybean, causing more than 30 percent yield losses. Colletotrichum truncatum is the most common species recorded on soybean. The disease cause considerable damage by reducing plant stand, seed quality, seed germination and yield.The typical symptoms includes were on the foliage brown coloured patches with gray coloured centre on upper surface and scorched appearance on the lower surface, pods covered with small to large,irregular brown blotches, which later turned black. Infected pods found to be shriveled and contain no seed or more two seeded pods.The test pathogen could proliferate better and sporulate excellent on the culture media viz., Potato Dextrose Agar, Oat Meal Agar and Czapek‟s dox Agar.Fungicides viz., Propiconazole, Carbendaxim, Hexazconazole, Thiophanate methyl, Difenconazole, Penconazole, Mancozeb and Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63%; bioagents viz., T. viride, T. hamatum and T. harzianum and botanicals viz., A. sativum, A. cepa were most prominent one.