Integrated management of blast of rice

Abstract

The trial was conducted subsequently during three years for development of integrated disease management module in rice with main plot treatments consisting of seed treatment (ST) of benomyl (0.3%) followed by Pseudomonas fluorescens (0.5%) and cultural practices (CP) like soil application of rice husk ash (RHA) at sowing on raised beds (1 kg m-2) + soil application of rice straw (RS) @ 2 tones ha-1 at transplanting and no ST and CP together with eight fungicide treatments including absolute control as subplot treatments. The pooled results revealed that the lowest leaf blast (10.95%), neck blast (28.71%) and node blast (16.72%) with highest disease reduction of 78.09, 63.84 and 72.32per cent, respectively were recorded in the treatment combination of ST + CP with three sprays of propiconazole (0.1%) at 15 days interval starting first spray at disease (leaf blast) appearance. Thereby, this treatment produced highest grain (35.57 q/ha) and straw (40.09 q/ha) yield with substantial increase in the grain (101.23 %) and straw (93.10%) yields as well as gave higher monitory benefits such as total monetary returns of Rs. 58048.85 ha-1, net profit of Rs. 30905.85 ha-1, and B : C ratio of 2.14. This was followed by ST + CP with sprays of bitertanol (0.25%), carbendazim (0.1%) and tricyclazole (0.10 %).