A simple,cheap experimental sprayer

Abstract

The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), a little known tropical legume, is currently attracting international interest as a plant that may have considerable agricultural potential. The plant has, until recently, been considered as a vegetable of minor importance and information on pests and diseases which attack it is scant, fragmented and often unpublished. Current information on false rust, a major disease of the winged bean in Papua New Guinea, is reviewed. The disease is also known to occur in Java, the Philippines and Malaysia. Any of the above ground parts of the winged bean may be attacked, resulting in severe galling and malformation. The causal agent is an obligate fungal parasite Synchytrium psophocarpi. The parasite is simple in structure, consisting of sori, sporangia and zoospores and has a short life cycle. Sporangia are short lived and dispersed mainly by wind. The parasite is thought to be host specific and it is not known whether resting spores exist. Possible methods for field control of the disease have not been tested.