Diseases of Pea

Downy mildew of Pea

• Downy mildew is one of the most common fungal diseases of peas and is favoured by
wet, cool seasons.
• Night temperatures below 10°C and morning dew promote the disease.
• Systemic infection can lead to the appearance of the disease late in the season if
conditions are conducive, but yield losses due to downy mildew arise from the
stunting of plants early in their growth, or from complete loss of seedlings.
• Substantial losses are likely to occur in cooler districts.

Symptoms:

• Lower leaf surface of field pea is covered by masses of mouse-grey spores of the
downy mildew fungus
• Upper leaf surface of field pea infected with downy mildew has greenish-yellow to
brown blotches but no grey spore masses

Symptoms of Pea Downy mildew

Causal organism: Peronospora viciae

 Species of Peronospora produce sporangia that lack modification in the apical

region, the operculum, do not contain zoospores, and germinate by germ
tubes. P. viciae also produces oospores, which have a typical reticulate pattern
of the exosporium.
 The sexual breeding system for P viciae has not been described in literature
but may be similar to P. parasitica and Bremia lactucae Regel. These species
are also capable of regular and predictable production of oospores in large
numbers. Both heterothallic and homothallic isolates of these 2 species have

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU

 been found. Sexual reproduction is probably important for the adaptation of
the fungus to various host genotypes by recombination of virulence genes.

Dichotomously branched sporangiophore and sporangia of

Peronospora viciae

Disease Cycle:

• The fungus that causes downy mildew survives in the soil and on pea trash and can be
seed-borne.
• Infected seed can act as a primary source for systemic and local infections. The
disease can develop quickly when conditions are cold (5 - 15°C) and humid over 90 per
cent for 4 - 5 days, often when seedlings are in the early vegetative stage.

• Individual seedlings become infected and act as foci of infection from which the disease
spreads. Rain is the major means of spore dispersal and infection. Heavy dew will
promote sporulation.

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU

Disease Management:

• Varietal Selection: Growing a resistant variety is the most effective means of controlling
downy mildew in districts prone to this disease.
• Crop Rotation: Extended crop rotations and destruction of infected pea trash will
minimize the risk of serious disease. Extended crop rotations allow spore numbers in the
soil to decline before sowing again to field peas. A break of at least 3 years between field
pea crops is recommended. Avoid sowing pea crops adjacent to last season’s stubble.
• Chemical Control: Seed dressing with metalaxyl or oxadixyl (Group 4 systemic
phenylamide fungicides) can be effective. Seed treatments reduce the number of
seedlings with primary infection, thereby reducing the amount of air-borne spores that
cause secondary infection in the surrounding crop.

Powdery mildew of Pea

Symptoms:

 First symptoms appear on the leaves in the form of white floury patches on both
sides of leaves.
 The disease then spreads to other green parts of the plant such as tendrils, pods,
stems etc. The patches on the leaves originate in the form of minute discoloured
specks from which powdery mass radiates on all sides.
 In the advanced stages of the disease large areas of the host get coveted with
white floury patches. Infected plants impart dirty appearance. In extreme severe
infections the infected leaves are shed leaving stem devoid of the leaves.

Symptoms of Powdery mildew of Pea

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU

 Causal organism: Erysiphe polygoni

Conidiophore, appressorium and conidia of Erysiphe polygoni

Epidemiology:

 Warm (15-25°C), humid (over 70 per cent) conditions for 4-5 days late in
the growing season during flowering and pod filling are favourable for
disease development.
 Rainfall is not favourable for the disease, as it will wash spores off plants.
 Dewy nights are sufficient for disease development.

Disease Cycle:

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU

Disease Management:

 Field sanitation, rotation of crop and destruction of diseased plant debris may
effectively control the disease.
 Sulphur dusting @ 25-30 Kg/hectare gives effective results. Only one dusting is
sufficient.
 Spraying with Karathane (0.2%), Elosal (0.5%) and Morocide (0.1%), Calixin(1g/l)
have been found effective in controlling the disease.
 Disease resistant variety: Pusa panna, Arka Ajeet, Hans, Azad Pea 4

Pea rust

Symptoms:

 This often becomes serious in humid regions.

 The first symptoms appear with the development of aecia.
 The yellow aecia appear first on the undersurface of the leaves, stems and
petioles.
 The formation of aecial stage is preceded by a slight yellowing which
gradually turns brown.
 The plants dry up quickly and the yield is considerably reduced.
 The initial symptoms of the rust infection are flecking of the leaves. These flecks
soon develop into reddish brown pustules, frequently merging into one another,
finally bursting to expose a mass of brown spores. The entire leaf blade and other
affected parts give a brownish appearance even from a distance.

Pea rust symptoms: yellow aecia on underside of pea leaves, rust pustules

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU

Causal organism:

 Uromyces pisi-sativi (phylum Basidiomycota, class Pucciniomycetes, order

Pucciniales and family Pucciniaceae)
 Autoecious and heterothallic fungus forming all the four type of spores viz.,
pycniospores/ spermatiospores, aeciospores, urediospores and teliospores on
pea only.
 Pycnia are small, flask shaped and produced as yellowish flecks on upper
surface of leaves with a common nector drop at mouth.
 The uredospores are round to ovate light brown echinulate with 3-4
germpores and measure 20-30 × 18-26 microns.
 The teliospores are subglobose to ovate, thick walled, with flattened apex,
smooth, single celled, pedecellate and measure 25-38 × 18-27 microns in size.

Uromyces pisi-sativi: aceia and uredospores

Host range:

 Several species of Vicia, Lathyrus, Pisum and Lentil are susceptible to U.

pisi in India and abroad.
 Total 52 species of Vicia faba and 22 species of Lathyrus to be infected by U.
viciae–fabae/Uromyces pisi-sativi

Epidemiology:

 Temperature in the range of 10-20°C and relative humidity more than 90%
favours disease development.

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU

Disease Cycle:

 Uromyces pisi is a macrocyclic rust fungus, it exhibits all four spore forms
known for the Uredinales. It is autoecious, as all spores are produced by
single host.
 Spores after landing on a leaf of a host germinate and produce infection
structures. Pycnia are produced which contain pycniospores.
 Urediospore is the major asexual spore form of rust fungi produced in
massive amount through repeated infection of host plants during the summer.

Disease Management:

 Cultural practices viz., planting time, planting geometry, intercropping and row
spacing
 Screening of germplasms for disease resistance (Qruf1 associated with pea rust
resistance).
 Induction of host defence through biotic and abiotic elicitors. [Benzothiadiazole
(BTH) and DL-β- aminobutyric acid (BABA) ]
 Chemical control with new strobilurin fungicides viz. Amistar and triazoles viz.
Score (difenoconazole) and Tilt (propiconazole) @0.1%

Dr. Arghya Banerjee, Assistant Professor (Plant Pathology), TNU