Studies on management of dry root rot of chickpea caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butler

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the world‟s leading pulse crop. It is an important pulse crop with a wide distribution across the tropics, sub tropics and temperate region. It is rich in dietary proteins and good for human consumption; moreover, its ability to form nitrogen fixing nodules via interaction with rhizobia adds to its uniqueness. Chickpea crop is prone to many pest and diseases. Among them dry root rot of chickpea caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola is a serious emerging threat to chickpea. Rhizoctonia bataticola is a genus of anamorphic fungi in order Cantharellales and family Ceratobasidiaceace. Rhizoctonia species do not produce spores, but are composed of hyphae and sclerotia. Rhizoctonia species are saprophytic, but some act as facultative plant pathogens causing commercially important crop diseases. The characteristics symptoms include yellowing of leaves, dark lesion on the stem at ground level; sclerotial bodies are seen beneath of bark of affected portion (root) of plant. The present study was conducted with the objectives on the in vitro evaluation of some bio agents/botanical and fungicides against Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butler and integrated management of disease in experimental field. Among all tested antagonists in vitro, maximum mycelial growth inhibition was recorded with Garlic clove extract @ 5% (76.06%) after 72 hours, followed by Pseudomonas florescence (67.25%) and Bacillus subtilis (60%). The cent per cent mycelial growth inhibition of Rhizoctonia bataticola was recorded with fungicides carbendazim at all concentration i.e. 0.005%, 0.010% and 0.015%. While tebuconazole inhibited the mycelial growth of pathogen 88.15 % at 0.015% concentration, followed by 87.22% and 83.89% at 0.010% and 0.005% concentrations after 72 hours of inoculation respectively. During field experiment lowest percent disease incidence (10.11%) was recorded in (T1) seed bio-priming with Pseudomonas florescence @10 g/kg seed, followed by (13.90%) in (T8) seed treatment with carbendazim @2g/kg seed and (15.10%) and also maximum yield were obtained from same treatments respectively. Hence, we can say garlic clove extract @5% are highly effective against pathogen and seed bio-priming have synergetic effect on reducing disease incidence increasing yield as well.