Evaluation of botanicals and essential oils under in vitro condition against sheath rot disease of rice

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) belongs to the grass Poaceae family known as the Gramineae, is the second most important cereal crop grown throughout the world. Sheath rot, caused by Sarocladium oryzae (Sawada) Gams and Hawksworth has achieved the status of a major disease of rice and yield loss reported up to 3 to 85%. Efficacy of botanical extracts, essential oils were tested against the sheath rot pathogen S. oryzae under in vitro condition. Three botanical plants extract in combinations to each other were test for their anti-fungal activity against the pathogen, among the treatments Karanj + Garlic + Neem extract was recorded significantly reduced the mean mycelial growth (21.31 mm) and maximum inhibition (54.30%). The essential oils i.e. Clove, and Neem oils were completely (100%) inhibiting the mycelial growth (00.00 mm) at 0.1%.