Bio-Solarization as an Integrated Approach in the Management of Rice Blast

Field trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of bio-solarization on rice blast during 2021 and 2022 rainy seasons. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) consisted of five treatments, replicated three times. The treatments include: - SOCAFU (solarization + cabbage residues + fungicide), SOPOMA (solarization + poultry manure), SOPOFU (solarization + poultry manure + fungicide), FUNGIC (Mancozeb 630g/kg + Carbendazim 120 g/kg) and control. Field was moistened to field capacity before polythene sheets were placed in their respective seedbeds for the period of four weeks. Poultry manure and cabbage residues as organic amendments were incorporated to their respective seedbeds at the rate of 20t ha^-1 and 15t ha^-1 two weeks prior to transplanting rice seedlings. Data on rice blast incidence, severity, area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), number of tillers, plant height, yield and percent disease reduction were collected and subjected to analysis of variance. Treatment means were separated at P≤0.05. Results revealed that rice grown on bio-solarised soil in 2022 significantly produced lowest rice blast incidence, severity, AUDPC and higher number of tillers and taller plant height. Higher yield (1.73 t ha^-1) and percent disease reduction (31.1%) were recorded in 2022 than those produced in 2021. SOPOFU-amended soil in 2022 produced the lowest disease incidence (15.7%), rice blast severity (16%) and area under disease progress curve (63.4) than the other bio-solarised treatments and fungicide treated soil. Highest yield (2.68 t ha^-1) and percent disease reduction (52.8%) were also obtained on rice grown on SOPOFU-amended soil, compared to the other treatments. Based on the results obtained, application of 20 t ha^-1 of poultry manure and 0.5 kg ha^-1 of 630g/kg Mancozeb + 120g/kg Carbendazim WP in solarized soil is recommended as integrated management package against rice blast.