Archives of Current Research International

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is an important leguminous oilseed crop and is affected by diseases caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses. Among the viral diseases, Yellow Mosaic Disease (YMD) is highly destructive and can cause yield losses of about 21-61%. Although resistant cultivars, weed management and other cultural practices are used, their effectiveness may vary with environmental conditions and vector populations. Therefore, understanding the relationship among sowing date, disease severity, vector population and weather parameters is important for YMD management. The present study evaluated the effect of sowing dates on YMD management in soybean and examined the influence of whitefly population and weather parameters on disease severity. The lowest Percent Disease Index (PDI) and highest yield were recorded in the crop sown on 30.06.2025 (D2), whereas the highest disease index and lowest yield were recorded in the crop sown on 15.07.2025 (D3). PDI increased with crop age, reaching higher levels at 82 DAS (36th SMW) in D1, 74 DAS (37th SMW) in D2 and 66 DAS (38th SMW) in D3. In JS-335, the highest mean PDI was 9.5, 14.63 and 17.0% under protected conditions and 24.0, 38.0 and 51.0% under unprotected conditions in D1, D2 and D3, respectively. KDS-726 recorded lower peak mean PDI values than JS-335. The findings indicate that sowing-date adjustment may serve as a useful cultural component for reducing YMD incidence in soybean.