Integrated Management of Fungal Diseases of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] Occurring in India

Soybean ranks first among the oilseeds in terms of area (111.27 m ha), production (276.4 m t) and productivity (2,484 kg/ha), in the world. It contributes nearly 25% of the world’s total oil and fats production and is a primary source of protein and oil.

In India, exhibiting an unparallel growth, the area and production of soybean have increased to 12.03 m ha and 14.67 m t with productivity of 1350 kg/ha. Besides contributing about 25% to the national edible oil pool of the country and export earnings to the tune of approximately USD 1103 million per annum, it has improved the socio-economic conditions of the small, poor and marginal farmers of central India.

Besides many other factors, diseases have become one of the major constraints in harnessing the full productivity potential of the crop. Out of 29 fungal, 6 bacterial, 18 viral, 6 nematodes and 3 mycoplasma diseases recorded on this crop, approximately 10 fungal pathogens are of regular appearance in different parts of the globe entailing into serious economic losses.

Amongst them, six pathogens (Sclerotium rolfsii, Macrophomina phaseolina, Colletotrichum truncatum, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, Cercospora sojina and Cercospora kikuchii) cause severe damage in India. Although, a number of measures have been adopted for their control, consolidated modules for their management are not yet available to the growers. In this chapter, how the effective and timely adoption of the disease management modules can minimise the losses of the crop due to fungal pathogens has been described and discussed besides the distribution and brief symptoms of the major diseases.