Integrated Disease Management of Root Rot and Powdery Mildew in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

The present investigation was conducted during two consecutive summer seasons (February to April) of 2022 and 2023 at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Polasa, Jagtial, Telangana (505529), India. The aim of the study was to determine ecofriendly, cost effective and potential disease management strategies for management of root rot and powdery mildew diseases in sesame. The investigation unveiled that all the three tested modules are significantly superior over control in suppressing the disease in randomized block design with five replications. Among the tested modules, Module 3, seed treatment with Trichoderma asperellum @ 10 g kg-1 + soil application of enriched Trichoderma (2.5 kg Trichoderma asperellum + 100 kg Vermicompost) @ 250 kg ha-1 + spray of Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxysrobin 25% @ 0.5 g l-1 at 30–35 DAS and second spray at 50–60 DAS showed the highest reduction of root rot (% DI=78.59%) and powdery mildew (PDI=76.30%) over the untreated control with highest seed yield ha-1 (776.8 kg ha-1) and B:C ratio of 3.22 followed by module, M2: Seed treatment with carbendazim @ 2 g l-1 + spray of Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% @ 0.5 g l-1 at 30–35 DAS and second spray @ 0.5 g L-1 at 50–60 DAS. This integrated disease module can be used for the effective management of root rot and powdery mildew diseases in sesame and ensuring sustained yields, particularly in the Northern Telangana Zone in the state of Telangana.