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Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important coolseason food legume crop, mainly cultivated in South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, The Nile Valley Region, North America, South America and Eastern Europe. As with other food legume crops, lentil production and productivity are affected by many biotic and abiotic factors. Among the biotic factors, diseases and insects are important as they are known to adversely affect lentil productivity in all of its production regions. The biotic diseases that affect lentil are caused by fungi, viruses, nematodes and flowering parasitic plants, whereas the abiotic stresses include nutrient deficiencies or toxicities, waterlogging, cold or heat stress and herbicide injury.
In this bulletin, the biotic and abiotic diseases and insect pests of lentil are summarized with brief descriptions of their geographical distribution and economic importance, symptoms including the diagnostic ones, causal organism/agent and practical methods of control. Photographs depicting their signs and/or symptoms have been included to aid in field diagnosis.
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