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Pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease
Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus · Viral
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (Government of India) · GODL-India
Pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease (SMD) is a virus spread from plant to plant by a tiny eriophyid mite (Aceria cajani) — far too small to see clearly without a hand lens. It does not kill the plant. Instead it turns pigeonpea pale, short and excessively bushy, and stops it flowering, so the plant lives on but sets few or no pods. Because it survives between seasons on live pigeonpea — old ratoon stumps, self-sown volunteers and infected fields nearby — it comes back year after year unless those reservoirs are cleaned out.
lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0
Why it matters
Sterility mosaic is the "green plague" of pigeonpea: the plant stays green and alive but goes bushy and never flowers, so it makes few pods or none at all. A plant hit early can lose almost its whole harvest — up to 90% — while looking perfectly leafy. There is no cure once a plant is infected: a tiny mite carries the virus from sick plants to healthy ones, and the disease lives through the dry season on old pigeonpea stumps and stray seedlings, so it keeps coming back unless you stop it before it starts.
When to act
No curative treatment; act pre-emptively with resistant varieties and by removing infected and volunteer plants, as early infection causes near-total sterility.
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
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The full pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
14 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease?
The killer sign — no flowers, no pods: the plant looks green, leafy and even healthy, but while its neighbours are covered in flowers and filling pods, this one stays bare. That barrenness ("sterility") is the whole point of the disease — a plant hit early may never flower at all.
When should I take action against pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease?
No curative treatment; act pre-emptively with resistant varieties and by removing infected and volunteer plants, as early infection causes near-total sterility.
How do I control pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease?
Prevent first — plant a resistant variety (your strongest tool): grow sterility-mosaic-resistant or tolerant pigeonpea varieties and sow clean seed of those lines. This is by far the most reliable control — resistant plants shrug off the virus even when the mite is present. If SMD has hit your area before, do not plant a susceptible local variety again.
Which crops does pigeonpea sterility mosaic disease affect?
Among the crops covered here: Pigeon pea.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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