COMBINED APPLICATIONS OF FUNGICIDES, BOTANICAL FORMULATIONS AND BIOCONTROL AGENT FOR MANAGING RICE BLAST CAUSED BY MAGNAPORTHE GRISEA UNDER TEMPERATE CONDITIONS OF KASHMIR

Abstract

Rice is the world’s most important food crop as it provides nutrition to the two third of its population. The improvement in yield of this crop is challenged by several biotic and abiotic factors. Among the biotic stresses, rice blast is a serious production constraint for rice in Kashmir conditions. Keeping in view the above fact, an investigation was carried out at two locations viz, Anantnag and Pulwama using Randomised Block Design (RBD) with three replications during Kharif 2018-2019 to check the efficacy against leaf and neck blast disease of rice variety K-448 with Tricyclazole (75WP) 1g l-1, Hexaconazole (5EC) 2.5ml l-1 and Mancozeb (45WP) 1g l-1 as chemical fungicides, Trichoderma harzianum as biocontrol agent and leaf extracts of Datura stramonium and Cannabis sativa (15%) as botanicals in experimental plots. The treatments were applied three times in the field at tillering, booting and neck blast stages. Leaf and neck blast percent disease intensity and total yield were recorded using Standard Evaluation System for rice (SES 0-9). All the spray treatments proved effective and reduced leaf and neck blast intensity and significantly increased the yield parameters. Among all treatments, Tricyclazole (beam) was found significantly superior and recorded minimum leaf blast intensity (8.54%), neck blast intensity (21.20%) and remarkably significant increase in grain and straw yield (3303kgh-1and 6001kgh-1). The next best treatment was T.harzianum which registered leaf blast intensity (13.06%) and (34.43%) neck blast intensity at both locations and was found statistically at par with Hexaconazole (14.17% and 36.94%) followed by Mancozeb (19.11% and 42.02%) and Datura stramonium (25.65% and 46.13%). Maximum leaf and neck blast (40.15% and 57.97%) was observed with Cannabis sativa leaf extract but showed numerically higher grain (2069 kg/ha) and straw yield (4509 kg/ha) as compared to untreated control.