Unveiling Oil Seed Cakes Ability to Suppress Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium udum Butler) in Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.)

Abstract

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) holds significant economic importance as a versatile crop due to its various uses. It is a valuable source of nutrition for human consumption, rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, pigeonpea plays a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by fixing atmospheric nitrogen and enhancing soil fertility. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium udum is an important economic threat to the growers of pigeonpea in India and across the globe. The study was therefore conducted during the years 2017–2019 to determine the impact of the various oil seed cakes on the fusarium wilt of pigeonpea. Seven treatments including different types of oil seed cakes viz., mustard cake, neem cake, linseed cake, mahua cake, sunflower cake, groundnut cake and carbendazim (treated check) were employed by adopting the soil inoculation method. All of the treatments employed notably diminished the incidence of fusarium wilt. Among the treatments, neem cake (T2) was most effective in suppressing disease incidence (73.78% and 76.89%), registering the least plant fatalities (19.05 and 18.02), respectively. Furthermore, treatment (T2) also showed maximum plant height at 120 DAS (151.86 cm and 153.34 cm) and the highest root-nodules count of pigeon pea (5.71, 5.66) respectively in both the cropping years compared to other treatments and untreated control (T0).