Pantnagar Journal of Research

Abstract

Among oilseed crops, soybean is widely cultivated because of its high protein and oil content, making it an important component of agricultural and food production systems. However, its productivity is often affected by anthracnose, a serious disease caused by hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum truncatum. A GIS based field survey was conducted across 55 locations in six districts of Uttarakhand during the kharif seasons of three consecutive years (2022–2024) to study the spatial distribution of soybean anthracnose. The investigation revealed considerable variation in disease occurrence among the surveyed regions. Lower DI and PDI were generally observed in the hill regions of Kumaon, while the Tarai plains exhibited the highest disease levels, followed by the Bhabar region. Among the surveyed districts, Udham Singh Nagar recorded the highest Disease Incidence (53.13%) and Percent Disease Index (34.18%), while Bageshwar showed the lowest Disease Incidence (5.13%), whereas Almora showed the lowest Percent Disease Index (2.63%). The GIS based disease maps generated in this study can support location specific disease surveillance, timely intervention, and efficient resource allocation for soybean disease management.