Integrated disease management strategies in mungbean

Abstract

Take home messages
Effective disease management relies on adopting several strategies
To minimise the risk of halo blight and tan spot plant seed with the lowest possible levels of infection, use varieties with higher levels of resistance, ensure good farm hygiene, control weeds and volunteers, and adhere to recommended crop rotations
The impact of powdery mildew is minimised by planting varieties with higher levels of resistance, and by applying fungicides at the first sign of disease.

Introduction
Mungbean has become a valuable summer crop grown across Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW). Diseases continue to be a constraint to many mungbean growers across the northern region in all seasons. The major diseases affecting mungbean in NSW and Queensland are the seed-borne bacterial diseases tan spot and halo blight, and the fungal disease powdery mildew. Emergent and less-well understood diseases are Fusarium wilt and root rot, charcoal rot, root knot and root lesion nematodes, phytoplasma, and other disorders such as gummy pod and puffy pod. Not all diseases are found in crops each year. The incidence and severity of diseases will depend on the interaction between the pathogen, the host, the environment, and vectors in the case of viruses and phytoplasmas. Halo blight, tan spot and powdery mildew are the most common diseases of mungbean and are typically present each season.