Verification of integrated management of chickpea Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris) in major chickpea growing areas of East Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Fusarium wilt is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris, a major limiting chickpea productivity in Ethiopia. The present study was to validate the integrated management of chickpea Fusarium wilt. The verifications were conducted in Adea, Lume and Gimbichu districts. The experiment was laid out as a factorial combination a farmer’s field was used as replications. The management package consists of two varieties (Arerti and Habru), seed treatment with protective fungicides a rate of 2 g (a.i) kg/seed) and without and two seed bed type (raised and flat). There were three verifications per site. The pod borer management consists of timely insecticide application lambda cyhalothrin. The 2016 result showed significant variations among the treatment on Fusarium wilt and hundreds of seed weight. The lowest Fusarium wilt incidence (1.5%) was found on variety Arerti by raised bed and fungicide treated seed. The optimum yield (1747.5 kg/ha) obtained on flat plot with variety Habru use moisture in field, perhaps raised bed drain moisture. The correlation revealed that there was negative relationship between Fusarium wilt and yield. While, in 2017 significant variation is on Fusarium wilt and number of pods per plant. The highest Fusarium wilt incidence (24%) was on variety Arerti by flat plot without fungicide. Whereas, the highest pod per plant (54.4%) was on variety Arerti by raised bed with fungicide treated. There was clear difference among the seasons on Fusarium wilt incidences and yield. Thus, combining resistant cultivars by raised bed and fungicides treatment will reduce the Fusarium wilt incidence and optimize planting time to obtain attainable yields and ploughing interval in severely infected field reduces primary sources of inoculum. Key words: Chickpea, fungicides, Fusarium wilt, incidence, yield.