R. Akila ¹, E. G. Ebenezar ²

Affiliations
1 Centre for Plant Protection Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Ecofriendly methods for the management of grain discolouration in rice using plant oils, plant extracts and bacterial antagonist were tested in pot culture and field experiments. The field fungi such as Drechslera oryzae, Curvularia lunata and Fusarium moniliforme were predominantly associated with the grain discolouration in rice. In pot culture experiment, post inoculation spraying of neem oil 80 EC (3%) was highly effective in reducing the grain discolouration which was on par with carbendazim (250 g ha^-1), rhizome extract (10%) of Curcuma longa, leaf extract (10%) of Nerium oleander, Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf1) (10⁹ cfu ml^-1) and leaf extract (10%) of Vinca rosea. In the field, spraying of neem oil 80EC (3%) at flowering stage and ten days later reduced the grain discolouration from 21.60 to 11.45 per cent which was on par with carbendazim (250 g ha^-1), rhizome extract (10%) of C. longa, leaf extract (10%) of N. oleander and P. fluorescens (Pf1) (10⁹cfu ml^-1). There was also significant increase in the grain yield due to these treatments compared to control.

Keywords

Field Fungi, Grain Discolouration, Plant Extracts, Plant Oils and Pseudomonas fluorescens.

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R. Mohan Babu ¹, K. Seetharaman ¹, E. G. Ebenezar ¹, A. Sajeena ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural College and Research Institute (TNAU), Madurai 625 104, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Studies were conducted in a greenhouse to assess the efficacy of Trichoderma viride Pers. Gray and neem cake in different problems soils viz., sandy, black hard pan, saline, sodic, alkaline, red crusted soil, acid soil and normal soil in suppressing the growth of blackgram ischolar_main rot pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi.) Goid. The biocontrol efficacy of T. viride I₃, plus neem cake application in uninfested soil was the maximum 60 days after inoculation in acid soil which showed the minimum (5.63%) ischolar_main rot incidence as compared to T. viride I₃, alone (6.44%) and neem cake application alone (7.15%). In infested soil, the T. viride I₃ and neem cake plus pathogen inoculation recorded the minimum (6.47%) disease incidence in acid soil as compared to T. viride I₃, and pathogen inoculation (7.52%), and neem cake application plus pathogen inoculation (8.72%), In uninocuiated control and in inoculated control of acid soil, the ischolar_main rot incidence was 7.84 and 9.70 percent, respectively.

Keywords

Bioconrol, Macrophomina phaseolina, Neem Cake, Problem Soils, Trichoderma viride.

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