EFFICACY OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF EFFECTIVE PLANT SPECIES, BOTANICAL PESTICIDE AND FUNGICIDES AGAINST DAMPING-OFF IN BIDI TOBACCO UNDER GLASS HOUSE CONDITIONS

摘要

Damping-off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum is a serious disease of bidi tobacco in nursery. Metalaxyl MZ @ 0.015% and Bordeaux mixture @ 0.6% have been recommended to minimize losses due to the disease in bidi tobacco nursery under Gujarat conditions. Attempts have been made to manage the disease using leaf extracts of botanicals (Jacob et at, 1988; Vankar et al, 2002). The present experiment was carried out to study the efficacy of leaf extracts of some effective plant species, a botanical pesticide and fungicides against the disease under glasshouse conditions. In second series of the experiment, leaf extracts of most effective plant species and botanical pesticide were also evaluated in combination with metalaxyl MZ against the disease. Forty-eight earthern pots, each of 15 cm diameter, were filled with steam sterilized soil + FYM in 4:1 proportion. The pots were inoculated with actively growing five days old culture of P. aphanidermatum @ 50 mg/pot and kept in glasshouse at 30±1°C. Two daysafter inoculation, treatments of acqueous leaf extracts of L. inermis, E. qffLcinalis and E. citriodora each @ 25%, Azadex @ 4%, metalaxyl MZ @0.015%, metalaxyl G @ 0.05% and Bordeaux mixture @ 0.6% (BM) were applied to respective pots. The treatments were replicated six times. The pots were seeded with bidi tobacco cv. Anand 119 @ 15 mg (200 seeds) per pot two days following the treatments. The treatments were repeated after eight days of the first application. All agronomic practices in vogue were followed. Observations were recorded at appropriate time and the data were statistically analysed.