ASSESSMENT OF YIELD LOSSES CAUSED BY CHICKPEA CHLOROTIC DWARF GEMINIVIRUS IN CHICKPEA (CICER-ARIETINUM) IN INDIA

Yield losses caused by chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus in chickpea were estimated by comparing uninfected and infected plants in the field at two locations in India. When infection was before flowering, yield lo sses of individual plants amounted to nearly 100% in the three cultiva rs studies. Plants that became infected during flowering had yield los ses of 75-90%. Percentage of crop loss is likely to equal percentage o f disease incidence, since plant densities in farmers' fields are prob ably too low to allow uninfected plants around infected ones to compen sate the yield losses of infected plants.