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VOL. 8, ISSUE 4 (2026)
In vivo assessment of correlation between soil moisture and incidence of Rhizoctonia bataticola causing dry root rot disease in chickpea
Authors
Varunkumar Kolur, Mallikarjun Kenganal, Gururaj Sunkad, Palaiah P, Laxuman
Abstract
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop
cultivated mainly under rainfed conditions. Dry root rot (DRR), caused by Rhizoctonia
bataticola has emerged as a major threat to chickpea production,
particularly under moisture-stress conditions. To study the influence of soil
moisture on disease development, a pot experiment was conducted at the Zonal
Agricultural Research Station (ZARS), Kalaburagi, under natural field
temperature conditions. The chickpea cultivar JG-11 was grown in pathogen-infested
soil maintained at four soil moisture levels, namely 40, 60, 80 and 90 per cent
soil moisture content (SMC). Wilt incidence was recorded at 45 days after
sowing. The results showed that soil moisture played a crucial role in both
plant survival and disease development. Complete wilting (100.0%) was observed
at 40 per cent SMC in both inoculated and uninoculated pots, indicating that
severe moisture stress alone was sufficient to cause plant death under such dry
conditions. At 60 per cent SMC, inoculated pots recorded a mean wilt incidence
of 80.5 per cent, while uninoculated pots showed 52.7 per cent wilt incidence.
As soil moisture increased, wilt incidence decreased considerably. At 80 per
cent SMC, the mean wilt incidence in inoculated pots was 38.8 per cent compared
to 19.4 per cent in uninoculated pots. The lowest wilt incidence was recorded
at 90 per cent SMC, where inoculated and uninoculated pots showed mean wilt
incidences of 11.06 and 8.3 per cent, respectively. Overall, the findings
indicated that moisture-deficit conditions create a favourable environment for
dry root rot development, whereas adequate soil moisture helps limit disease
incidence. The study highlights the importance of maintaining optimum soil
moisture as a practical approach for reducing dry root rot and improving
chickpea productivity under rainfed conditions.
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Pages:30-33
How to cite this article:
Varunkumar Kolur, Mallikarjun Kenganal, Gururaj Sunkad, Palaiah P, Laxuman "<i>In vivo</i> assessment of correlation between soil moisture and incidence of <i>Rhizoctonia bataticola</i> causing dry root rot disease in chickpea". International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Vol 8, Issue 4, 2026, Pages 30-33
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