EFFICACY OF BIO-AGENTS AND BOTANICAL EXTRACTS IN CONTROL OF RHIZOCTONIA SOLANI CAUSING AERIAL OR WEB BLIGHT OF SOYBEAN

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture in C.S.A.U.A & T, Kanpur (U.P.), India; during the Kharif season of 2012 and 2013 to study the Aerial blight of soybean caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn. The efficacy of seven botanical extract viz., Garlic, Madar, Ginger, Aloevera, Neem, Makoy, Datura i.e. application @ 5 per centand six bio-agents viz., Trichoderma viride, T. atroviride, T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum, T. koningii & Aspergillus niger were tested in vitro and in vivo conditions were against Rhizoctonia solani, the causal organism of aerial blight of soybean. Results revealed that the under in vitro conditions, botanical extracts of Garlic was found highly effective showed 88.47 per cent inhibition in radial growth of the fungus at 5 per cent concentration followed by Madar at 5 per cent concentration. Datura was found least effective than rest of the plant extract. The use of bio-agents is risk free and the best alternative to sustain plant protection. Trichoderma viride was the most significantly effective 70.42 per cent as it inhibited the mycelial growth of Rhizoctonia solani after 7 days of incubation followed by T. atroviride and T. harzianum where 62.47 per cent and 47.68 percent growth of fungus was observed, respectively. However, minimum effect on growth 8.62 per cent was observed in Aspergillus niger.