Studies on chickpea wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum

India is the largest producer of chickpea which is a rich source of high-quality protein. Chickpea wilt is a major fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris is a major constrain to chickpea production globally. The disease is important when the chickpea-growing season is dry and warm. Marathwada a part of Maharashtra State is well known for semi-arid crops, which are favourable for chickpea cultivation. Many times it is cultivated as a rain-fed crop. The yield losses caused by the Fusarial wilt disease are around 10 ¿ 15 % in Marathwada. Nowadays integrated disease management of various crop diseases has been advocated in order to avoid chemical application. An alternative approach to biological control of plant pathogens has been recommended in recent years by trends in agriculture towards greater sustainability. To avoid heavy infection of chickpea wilt, rhizospheric microorganisms like fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes and some botanicals were evaluated to control the disease In-vitro as well as In-vivo in this study. In the present study, the survey of chickpea wilt was done in 59 villages during the years 2005-2009 wilt was observed 2.00- 20.00 % level.