General Caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Rhizoctonia bataticola). Both soil and seedborne. Serious problem in late-sown or summer crops, and in perennial or ratooned pigeonpea. Hot (above 30°C) and dry weather encourage disease development. Symptoms usually appear at flowering and podding stages. More severe on black soils than on red soils. Rain after prolonged dry spell pre-disposes the plant to the disease. Crops are more susceptible in the reproductive stage. Symptoms Infected plants suddenly and prematurely dry up (Fig.91) Roots are brittle and break when touched. Early symptoms are spindle-shaped lesions on stems (Fig.92) and branches. Management Select fields with no previous record of dry root rot. Avoid sowing late so that the crop escapes from drought and high temperatures at maturity. Seed treatment with 4 g Trichoderma viride formulation + 3 g Thiram per kg seed and application of 2 kg T. virideformulation mixed with 125 kg FYM per ha.

Dried plants due to Dry Root Rot Spindle-shaped lesions on stems