Discussion on the consequences of chickpea wilt and management through induced resistance

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a crucial source of dietary protein and accounts for 18% of global legume production. However, the crop faces a variety of biotic and abiotic constraints, with fusarium wilt being the most common soil-borne disease. This disease poses a significant threat to chickpeas, leading to yield losses of up to 80% worldwide. Fusarium wilt pathogens exhibit host specificity and characteristic symptoms in mature plants include brown to black discoloration of the xylem vessels, wilting, and leaf burning caused by phytotoxins produced by the pathogen. To combat this fungal disease, several cultural, biological, and chemical methods have been extensively employed. While chemical control methods have proven to be highly effective and widely adopted by growers, they come with several adverse consequences for humans, the environment, soil, and water. Moreover, improper and excessive use of fungicides can lead to the development of resistance in plant pathogens. Thus, there is a pressing need for an environmentally friendly approach that promotes plant resistance. One such approach is induced resistance, which involves enabling plants to build their own resistance mechanisms. Induced resistance can take different forms, such as systemic acquired resistance based on the salicylic acid pathway, and induced systemic resistance based on the jasmonic acid pathway.