EFFECT OF SEED TREATMENT WITH DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS AND ORGANIC AMENDMENTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF POWDERY MILDEW (ERISIPHAE PISI) AND RUST (UROMYCES FABAE) IN PEA (PISUM SATIVUM L.)

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a crucial leguminous crop widely cultivated in the mid hill regions of Himachal Pradesh due to its adaptability to the region's temperate climate and its role in enhancing soil fertility through nitrogen fixation. In recent years, pea production in Himachal Pradesh has faced several challenges, threatening the viability and sustainability of this important crop. One of the primary challenges is the increasing diseases incidence and disease severity, which has led to significant crop losses in some areas. In response to these challenges, there has been a growing interest in the use of biocontrol agents. Pseudomonas fluorescens is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that has been widely studied for its ability to suppress plant pathogens. There are many fungal and bacterial diseases which are affecting the yield of pea but due to temperate and climatic conditions the most provident diseases were Powdery mildew and Rust in mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh. Field trials evaluating different seed treatments showed that all formulations of P. fluorescens combined with organic amendments significantly reduced both disease incidence and severity compared to the untreated control (T7). T4 (P. fluorescens + Mustard cake) was the most effective treatment in managing powdery mildew, reducing PDI 10.70% (2022–23) and 9.37% (2023–24), and PDS 23.04% and 23.64%, respectively T3 (P. fluorescens + Neem cake) was most effective against rust reducing PDI 10.68% (2022–23) and 10.02% (2023–24), and PDS to 27.04% and 23.73%.