Mode of germination of Erysiphe pisi conidia as a criterion for assessing degree of resistance in pea cultivars

The conidia of Erysiphe pisi, which incite powdery mildew in pea (Pisum sat ivum) germinate by uni- or bipolar germ tubes either with one or many with a maximum of six. The mode of germination depends on the surface,, i.e., de ad or living and also on varying degree of resistance in pea cultivars. In the present experiment, 21 cultivars of pea, which had varying degree of re sistance were used to see the mode of germination of E pisi conidia on thei r leaves in vitro. Each cultivar exhibited different reaction in the mode o f germination and based on this observation, a technique has been developed to identify resistance/susceptibility of the cultivars which will help far mers for its adoption in their farming.