INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF SHEATH BLIGHT DISEASE OF RICE

Sheath blight disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani has now been considered one of the most economically significant diseases of rice in India.To manage the disease in an integrated way, biocontrol treatment of Trichoderma sp. and chemical treatment are combined to reduce the number of chemical sprays to the minimum.Among the combination treatments, seed treatment with Trichoderma sp.@ 10 g/kg of seed, application of Trichoderma sp.@ 10 g/l of water at 15-20 DAT followed by a single spray of propiconazole @ 1ml/l at the booting stage was highly effective to manage the disease with 54.4 % disease control compared to check plot.The treatment also produced a significantly higher yield (43.2 q/ha) compared to control plots.Therefore, this treatment can be recommended for the management of the disease in an integrated way, targeting to keep the hazardous effect of chemicals to a minimum.