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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Southern Corn Leaf Blight (SCLB) incited by Bipolaris maydis (Nisikado and Shoemaker) is one of the major diseases infecting most of the corn fields and a major hindrance to maize yield. In the present investigation, both in-vitro and in-vivo studies were conducted to interpret the efficacy of different concentrations of botanicals and Trichoderma sps. against B. maydis in managing the disease. Microscopic studies revealed that the pathogen was dark gray with grayish conidial colonies; mycelia were cottony, dull grey in colour. Conidia were having 5-8 septae, long, slightly curved with round ends and bipolar germination producing flexuous conidiophores which are light brown in colour and rose singly or in groups. Antagonistic properties were revealed among the treatments where, T. viridae (85.07 %) gave maximum mycelial inhibition followed by T. harzianum (80.78%) and onion (73.76%) in comparison with treated check propiconazole (100 %). Field trials during Kharif 2019, were conducted based on their efficacy in lab conditions where plots treated with T. viridae + FYM recorded lowest disease incidence (33.32%), PDI (35.71%) and maximum yield (4.30 t/ha) followed by those in plots having seeds treated with T. harzianum (35.08%, 38.09%, 4.20 t/ha respectively) followed by those in plots having foliar spray of garlic (50.87%, 42.85%, 3.99 t/ha respectively). Highest Cost Benefit ratio was recorded in T. harzianum (1:1.74) and T. viridae (1:1.71) with better returns per rupee when compared with control (1:1.24). Thus concluding the results, field application of T. viridae mixed with FYM a week before sowing, seed treatment with Trichoderma harzianum and foliar spray of garlic leaf extract were found to be appropriate alternatives for managing this disease by reducing the use of chemicals.