Stemphylium blight disease reduces economic value of lentil

Stemphylium blight (SB) is a major fungal disease of lentil, grain, and vegetable crops globally. It develops in the crop canopy when weather conditions become warm and humid. Typical symptoms in lentil are rapid leaf drop, stem twisting, and brown discoloration of the upper canopy. It can affect yield and seed qualities when the disease spreads epidemically. Milling qualities are major post-harvest economic traits, which are influenced by genetics, biotic and abiotic stresses, and crop management strategies. However, the implications of SB disease on the milling quality and economic values of lentil have not been fully explored.

In a recently published Agronomy Journal article, researchers report the first series of multi-year experiments to assess the impact of SB disease on seed and milling qualities of lentil in the western Canadian Prairies. The team found that SB reduced both seed yield (range: 22–52%) and major milling quality parameters (15.1–25.3%). The results suggest that SB is a potentially leading cause of the poor reported milling quality that reduces the economic value of red lentil. Effective management of SB disease could improve milling efficiency and save millions of dollars in the lentil industry.