Efficacy of seed dressing fungicides in the management of stem rot disease of mustard caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary

摘要

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a polyphagous pathogen infecting 64 plant families, 225 genera, 361 species and 22 other cultivars of plant kingdom (Prudy, 1979). It is wide spread on rapeseed-mustard in China (liu et al., 1990; Liu, 1991) causing lossesupto 50 percent (average 10- 12 percent), England and Wales (Sansford, 1995), France, Germany (Kruger and Stoltenberg, 1983), and many other countries. In India, it has emerged in serious form in many parts of the country. It appears regularly in mild to severe form in Himachal Pradesh (Kumar and Thakur, 2000), causes loss upto 72 per cent in Uttat Pradesh (Chauhan et al., 1992) and with 50 to 70 per cent incidence in Rajasthan (Lodha et al., 1992). As the fungus prepetuates in soil through its restingbodies (sclerotia), dressing the seeds with fungitoxicants may protect initial infection and provide better germination and plant growth. The present studies were therefore, conducted during 1998-2000 with the same objectives.