Indian Phytopath. 70 (3) : 400-402 (2017) DOI 10.24838/ip.2017.v70.i3.72503 First report of twig blight of green pea caused by Choanephora infundibulifera in India SIDDHARTHA DAS 1 , SUBRATA DUTTA 2 *, SANJIB PRASAD KUIRY 3 and BHOLANATH MANDAL 4 1,2 Department of Plant Pathology, AICRP on Vegetable Crops, Directorate of Research, BCKV, Kalyani, Nadia 741 235, West Bengal, India 1,4 Department of Plant Protection, Visva-Bharati-Palli Siksha Bhavana, Birbhum 731 235, West Bengal, India Received: 13 May 2017/ Accepted: 24 June 2017/ Published online: 24 July 2017 © Indian Phytopathological Society 2017 ABSTRACT: The present report describes Choanephora infundibulifera as causal pathogen of twig blight of Pisum sativum recorded from the Gangetic alluvial region of West Bengal, India. Severe disease infestation with the initiation of shoot apical meristem, leaf and blossom blight was observed. The monsoon season (June-September) with optimum temperature (28-30°C) and high moisture (80-90%) level was found to enhance the disease progress. The pathogen was identified based on its cultural, morphological, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) - r DNA sequence analysis. To our understanding, this pathogen is being described for the first time as causal agent of twig blight disease of pea in India. Keywords: Fungal pathogen, India, ITS, Pisum sativum, twig blight FIRST REPORT *Corresponding author: subratadutta1972@gmail.com Pisum sativum L. [Fabaceae] is an annual herbaceous leguminous vegetable widely cultivated in almost all the states of India. The routine survey is conducted in every year in the Gangetic alluvial region of West Bengal. During November 2015, twig blight in Pisum sativum, was noticed and recorded for the first time from Nadia, West Bengal. Disease incidence recorded ranged from 5-25%. Primary symptoms were deep to light green, gradually become brownish and appear as water-soaked lesions on infected parts. Emerging multisporous sporangiola form cushion like mat or caterpillar’s hairy appearance, with black headed sporangium on sporangiophores (Fig. 1). Favorable temperatures (28±2°C) coupled with high humidity (80-90%) played a vital role in triggering the emergence of this disease. The fungus was isolated from lesions producing white to pale yellowish brown mycelia with cottony projections of multisporous sporangiola scattered host surface on potato dextrose agar (PDA) (Saroj et al., 2012). Both monosporous and multisporous sporangiola were observed under both field and cultural conditions. The fungal colonies on PDA were cottony white in color with pale yellow pigmentation observed on PDA. Based on literature pigmentation appear probably due to β- carotene synthesis (Barnett et al., 1956). Morphological studies revealed that monosporous sporangiola were elliptic or ovoid, 5.5-16.5 × 8-25 μm. Sporangium sub-globose, 30-90 μm. Sporangiospores elliptic, fusiform, or ovoid, 6-14.5 × 8-25 μm (Fig. 2). Fig. 1. (A) Water soaked brownish spot on stem; (B) Emerging sporangiola from stem and leaf surface; (C) Twig blight