Assessing the impact of weather variables on ascochyta blight development in chickpea
Keywords:
Ascochyta blight, Chickpea, Correlation, Percent disease incidence, standard meteorological week, WeatherAbstract
A field survey was conducted to study the influence of weather parameters, disease incidence and severity of Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei Passerini) in chickpea. Epidemiological studies indicated that the Percent Disease Index (PDI) increased linearly with plant growth. Weather parameters such as minimum temperature, relative humidity and rainfall showed significant negative correlations with the development of these blight diseases. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the coefficient of multiple determination (R) was 0.94, suggesting that these weather factors accounted for up to 60% of the variation in disease. The regression equation indicated that a 1% increase in morning relative humidity resulted in a 0.446% increase in PDI disease. Conversely, a 1°C increase in minimum temperature led to a decrease in disease severity by 5.606% for the disease. These findings provide valuable insights for monitoring weather-driven disease progression and developing effective management strategies for controlling this disease.
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