Evaluation of Selective Fungicides and Biocontrol Agents for Suppression of Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight of Maize (Zea mays)
Bolla Venkateswarlu *
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, 751003, Odisha, India.
Surja Kanta Beura
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, 751003, Odisha, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The investigation was carried out for managing leaf and sheath blight of maize (Zea mays L.) by using different fungicides and bio control agents. The bio control agents and fungicides exhibited inhibitory action against the test pathogen under laboratory condition. Field experiment conducted during kharif season 2016 revealed that two sprays of validamycin (0.2%), 30 and 40 days after sowing, gave maximum grain yield (30.0 q/ha) and 100-seed weight (208.0 g) with minimum percentage disease incidence (7%), (severity 1 on 1-5 scale), followed by difenoconazole @ 0.15% and hexaconazole (0.2%) for effective control of BSLB. Use of bio control agents Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens was found as best strategy for BSLB management.
Keywords: Bio control agents, foliar sprays, fungicides, Rhizoctonia solani f. sp. sasakii.