Eco-friendly management of post flowering stalk rot disease maize caused by Fusarium verticillioides (SACC) Nirenberg using phyto-extracts and antagonistic bio-agents

Post-flowering stalk rot (PFSR) in maize, caused by Fusarium verticillioides, poses a significant global challenge to maize production. The antifungal activity of aqueous extract of Azadirachta indica, Ocimum sanctum, Aloe barbadensis, Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, Glyceridia sepium, Alium cepa, Vitex negundo at two different concentrations of 10 and 20 percent at three different concentrations, and three biocontrol agents namely Trichoderma asperellum (Parbhani isolate), Trichoderma afroharzhianum, Trichoderma asperellum (NARP isolate), Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma hamatum, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were investigated against Fusarium verticilliodes (Sacc.) causing post flowring stalk rot of maize. The experiment was carried out by poisoned food and dual culture techniques in a completely randomized design with three replications under laboratory conditions at College of Agriculture, Badnapur during the Kharif season of 2023. F. verticillioides showed significant growth inhibition in all the treatments compared to control. The Zingiber officinale even at a lower dose was able to check the growth of pathogen. The mycelial growth inhibition percent of Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, and Vitex negundo, was found to be superior than other phyto-extracts. Antagonist Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma afroharzhianum completely overgrows F. verticillioides and covers the entire medium surface and exhibit more than 70% inhibition on the 7th day of incubation. The antifungal components from these plant extracts, and antagonists explored in this study need to be tested further in field experiments to control the post flowering stalk rot of maize.