Association of Crop Production Practices on the Incidence of Wilt and Root Rot Diseases of Chickpea in the Sudan

Chickpea is an important cool-season food legume in Sudan but its productivity suffers from various biotic factors including wilt and root rot diseases. A field survey was conducted during 2011/2012 cropping season to determine the importance and distribution of chickpea wilt and root rot diseases in the Sudan. During the survey, chickpea cultivars, agronomic practices and cropping systems used by farmers were evaluated to determine their impact on wilt and root rot disease incidence in farmers’ fields. The majority of fungal isolates recovered from diseased chickpea plants (80%) belonged to the genus Fusarium, whereas Rhizoctonia spp. and Macrophomina spp. constituted 20% of the recovered fungi. The majority (72%) of the farmers planted local chickpea landraces, whereas 19% planted improved Kabuli chickpea cultivars. High seed rate and early sowing significantly increased mean wilt and root rot disease incidence. Moreover, mono-cropped fields with chickpea showed high mean disease incidence, unlike chickpea in rotation with other crops. Since the chickpea area in the country is increasing due to attractive market value and increased demand for household consumption, high yielding, disease resistant varieties with suitable agronomic practices should be developed to reduce the impact of wilt and root rot diseases.