Faba bean gall (Physoderma viciae) disease management through varieties and fungicides in the highlands of south Wollo, northeastern Ethiopia.

Abstract

In Ethiopia, faba bean production and productivity are important although they are lower than their potential. Faba bean gall disease caused serious challenges to faba bean production in recent years. This study assessed the efficacy of combining fungicides with various faba bean varieties to control faba bean gall disease in the Tenta and Legambo districts of northeastern Ethiopia during the growing seasons of 2022 and 2023. The experiment included four faba bean varieties (Gora, Dosha, Wolkie, and Local) treated with four fungicides (Mancozeb 80% WP, Matco, Noble 25 WP, and Ridomil Gold MZ 68 WG), along with untreated control plots. The treatments were arranged in a factorial design with three replications in a randomized complete block design. The results revealed that combining different faba bean varieties with fungicides significantly reduced faba bean gall disease and improved yields and yield components across both locations and growing seasons. The combination of the Dosha variety treated with the Noble 25WP chemical fungicide resulted in the lowest disease intensity and the highest yield (3.79 t ha-1). Integrating varieties of Dosha treated with Noble 25WP chemical fungicide across locations and cropping seasons should be applied as a cost-effective and environmentally safe management option.