Vegetos

Abstract

Karnal bunt (KB) is a major fungal disease and causing milling and baking quality deterioration in the wheat of India. Wheat kernel characters related to its size and shape influence the milling yield and harvests with bold grains ensure better returns for the farmer. Extensive surveys were done in different states of India from 2012 to 2015 to monitor wheat grain samples for Karnal bunt (KB) incidence and severity. During harvest season, 2012–13, 2013–14 & 2014–15, 28396 grain samples were analyzed at the Plant Pathology lab under the division of Crop Protection at ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, for knowing the Karnal bunt (KB) incidence and range of infection in different samples of wheat grains received and collected from different Grain Mandies from different parts of wheat growing area in India. The study indicates that Karnal bunt (KB) was prevalent during 2012–15 harvest seasons in the states of North Western Plain Zone (NWPZ) from where samples were analyzed but there was a difference in the disease incidence in different states. In Central India, the disease was not reported in any of the samples analyzed. Wide variation in the range of infection existed in different wheat growing states of India wherein indicates the role of weather factors prevailing in different states at a vulnerable stage of the crop in disease outbreak.