Identification of resistant sources and evaluation of biocontrol agents for suppression of banded leaf and sheath blight in little millet (Panicum sumatrense) Jain A.K.*, Kumar Bahrat Department of Plant Pathology, J.N.K.V.V., College of Agriculture, Rewa (M.P.) *Correspondence email: akjagcrewa@gmail.com
Online published on 28 November, 2023. Abstract Banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) caused by Rhizoctonia solani is an emerging fungal disease of little millet and reduced grain yield significantly. Characteristic oval to irregular and light grey to dark brown lesions are formed on the leaves and leaf sheath that enlarge rapidly under favorable conditions and cover a large portion of the leaf and sheath giving a very peculiar banded appearance. In the present study, the average incidence of BLSB ranging from 0.0 to 16.5 percent was recorded at farmer’s fields surveyed in 18 villages covering four districts of Madhya Pradesh. Twenty cultivars of little millet were screened under artificial inoculations during two consecutive years and none was found completely free or resistant to the disease. Seven cultivars namely TNPSU 202, TNAU 176, TNAU 178, RLM 208, BL 6, BL 8, and OLM 203 were moderately resistant showing less than 30 percent relative lesion height (RLH). Three biocontrol agents namely Trichoderma viride (T. v.), Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. f.), and Bacillus subtilis (B.s.) were evaluated to manage the disease as seed treatment and soil treatment. All the bioagents were effective in reducing the disease by 33.0 to 57.2%. Soil application of bioagents was more effective as compared to seed treatment. Soil application of value added P.f. + T.v. + B.s. @ 335 g each of formulation were mixed in 25 kg FYM, incubated for 15 days, and applied over an area of 1 acre at the time of sowing was best to reduce the disease incidence (57.2%) closely followed by soil application of Pseudomonas fluorescens (P.f.) @ 1 kg formulation and soil application of Trichoderma viride (T.v.) @1 kg. The highest grain yield and yield-attributing traits were also recorded in these treatments. Top Keywords Little millet, Banded leaf and sheath blight, Survey, Resistant sources, Biological control. Top |