Node inoculation: A quick and easy technique to screen pigeonpea for resistance to Phytophthora blight

The petiole on pigeonpea was removed for easy, precise inoculation of node with Phytophthora drechsleri f. sp. cajani. After node inoculation, 96.0% plants were infected compared with 89.0% after stem-cut inoculation. Among various nodes inoculated on 30-day-old plants, the 5th node had the greatest relative susceptibility (90.0%), followed by the 3rd node (78.0%). This technique was validated on different cultivars (ICP 7119, Bahar, MA 6 and MAL 13), and 586 lines were successfully screened in the field, confirming the rapidity and effectiveness of the technique for resistance screening