Downy mildew incidence and oospore production by Sclerospora graminicola in pearl millet hybrids in Maharashtra and Rajasthan

Pearl millet hybrids in farmers fields were surveyed for the presence of downy mildew caused by S. graminicola in an experiment conducted in 8 districts in Maharashtra, India during 1993-2001 and in 6 districts in Rajasthan during 1999-2001. In Maharashtra, the mean incidence of downy mildew ranged from 27 to 55%, whereas in Rajasthan, the mean incidence of the disease ranged from 16 to 68%. In Maharashtra, the mean oospore production on hybrids ranged from 37 to 9736, whereas in Rajasthan, the mean number of oospore production ranged from 16 to 4464. No significant correlation was recorded between the mean incidence of downy mildew and oospore production