EFFECT OF BACTERIAL-BLIGHT (PSEUDOMONAS-SYRINGAE PV PISI) ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF SINGLE PEA (PISUM-SATIVUM) PLANTS UNDER GLASSHOUSE CONDITIONS

Single pea (Pisum sativum) plants cvs Kelvedon Wonder and Solara, grow ing in pots in a glasshouse, showed significant reductions in seed yie ld of 24, 47 or 71% following inoculation with pea bacterial blight (P seudomonas syringae pv. pisi) during reproductive, vegetative or both reproductive and vegetative growth stages, respectively. These yield r eductions were seen as reduced numbers of seeds per pod combined with changes in the numbers of pods per plant. Examination of the importanc e of different disease parameters on yield showed that mean disease on the whole plant was the most important. Equations describing the rela tionship between seed yield or the natural log of the total weight and mean disease were derived.