Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

Author(s):
Meghana Suresh Nayak, Hosagoudar GN, Ganesha Naik R, Gangadhar Naik B, Dushyantha Kumar BM and Thippeshappa GN

Abstract:
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the principal staple food for more than two billion people; most of them live in rural and urban areas of tropical and subtropical Asia. Sheath rot, Sarocdadium oryzae (Sawada) W. Gams & D. Hawksworth, has recently become a serious disease of rice when climatic conditions are unfavorable during flag sheath development. Efficacy of botanicals, bioagents, fungicides: systemic, non-systemic and combi products were tested against S. oryzae. Seven botanicals were evaluated for their anti-fungal activity against the pathogen, among them neem oil has recorded maximum inhibition (91.17%) at 0.5%. In non-systemic fungicides, copper oxychloride showed cent% inhibition of radial growth at 0.3%. Maximum inhibition of radial growth (100%) was recorded at 0.05% of Propiconazole fungicide. Among combi product fungicides, Azoxystrobin 11% + Tebuconazole 18.3% SC and Captan 70% + Hexaconazole 5% WP recorded cent% inhibition of radial growth at 0.15%. Dual culture technique was undertaken to assess the potential of five biocontrol agents among them Pseudomonas fluorescens (87.20%) and Trichoderma harzianum (57.60%) was the most antagonistic organism. From two season (Kharif 2020-21 and 2021-22) field experiment, foliar spray with propiconazole was found superior over all other treatments giving reduction in% disease index (5.44%) with increased grain yield (34.07 q/ha) and 1000-grains weight (28 g).