Correlation of Karnal Bunt Incidence with Weather Parameters

摘要

In India, Karnal bunt of wheat caused by Neovossia indica (Mitra) Mundkur is widely distributed in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, parts of Bihar and West Bengal, lower altitudes of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, northen parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (Singh et al 1980; Joshi et al 1980). The disease reduces yield, impairs seed vigor and deteriorates the quality of wheat flour. In north India , losses to the tune of 0.2 per cent have been recorded by Munjal (1975 ).The maintenanceof quarantine measures are also needed. The disease is seed, soil and air borne in nature and its occurrence is invariably affected by weather parameters. Rains at the time of anther formation increase the chances of infection (Bedi et al 1949). In general, it has been observed in Himachal Pradesh that if the weather becomes wet and cloudy during February and March, it leads to higher incidence of Karnal bunt. The aim of present study was to find correlations if any between Karnal bunt incidence and weather parameters prevalent during Feb and Mar by analyzing 10 yr data.