Golden yellow-brown coloured raised spots were seen on the pods of pea. A sample was taken from the infected area and teased to separate out the cells. The slide when observd under a foldscope revealed several spores. On surfing the literature, the symptoms matched with those of pea blight.

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Blight of pea is caused by several fungi, Ascochyta pisi is one of the  fungal plant pathogen that causes  blight on pea (pea blight) and lesions on stems, leaves, and pods (pea pod spot)

Symptoms –  lesions on all plant parts, seedling blight and foot rot. Lesions initially are small dark flecks on the lower parts of the plant that enlarge under humid conditions. The lesions may reveal small dark fruiting bodies. Infected seed can shrivel or become discolored.

Mode of infection

• Primary infection begins from diseased seed or from spores growing on debris in the soil
• Lesions spread rapidly under humid, warm conditions
• Fruiting bodies produced in the lesions after 10-12 days and spores spread by rain splash and wind
• Pod infection – a common thing

Control Measures

• Planting disease-free seed
• Treating seeds before sowing
• Ventilation of the crop and may help to reduce infection by lowering humidity.
• Crop rotation
• Foliar applications of fungicides

S Dhawan & J Dua, GGDSD College, Chandigarh