EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL AMENDMENTS, PLANT EXTRACTS AND CHEMICALS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF STEM ROT OF RICE.

Rice is the staple food of more than one third of world population. The emerging threat to this crop is the stem rot of rice. It is one of the dangerous disease causing huge losses to rice crop worldwide. In-vitro experiments were performed for evaluation of three plant extracts (Eucalyptus globules, Azadirachta indica and Alstonia scholaris) was done at three concentrations (10%, 5% and 2.5%) by poison food technique against the causal fungus, Sclerotium oryzae. Eucalyptus extract was found the most effective followed by neem and devil. Similarly, three fungicides, Thiophenate methyl 70% WP, Difenoconazole 10% WDG and Azoxystrobin 50% WDG were also tested at three concentrations (R, R/2 & R/4) and among these Thiophenate methyl 70% WP was the most effective followed by Difenoconazole 10% WDG and Azoxystrobin 50% WDG. The field trial based on 11 treatments comprising of organic nutritional amendments, plant extracts and fungicides was conducted using RCBD. It revealed that mixture of all organic nutritional amendments in combination with Thiophenate methyl fungicide showed significant response in the reduction of disease incidence. Moreover, these amendments also improved the plant growth and yield parameters i.e. plant height, panicle length (cm), number of tillers per plant, number of kernels per panicle, 1000-grain weight and yield/plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]