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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

10/05/24 14:45 PM IST

A new biocontrol agent to manage ‘foot rot’ disease in Basmati crop

In News
  • The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed biocontrol agent Trichoderma asperellum (2% WP), and registered it with the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC).
Foot rot disease
  • Rice is cultivated in two stages.
  • Seeds are first sown in a nursery bed, where they sprout and grow into seedlings, which are then transplanted into a well-puddled and prepared field.
  • Foot rot is a fungal disease that affects Basmati rice crops particularly at the seedling stage, though it might also cause infection after transplantation in case infected seedlings are transplanted.
  • It is caused by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides, a soil-seed borne pathogen which spreads the infection through the root of the plant, and eventually leads to the colonisation of the stem base.
  • To prevent the disease from occurring and spreading, farmers resort to early seedling treatment, try and use disease-free seeds, and destroy infected seedlings.
  • Timely seed nursery management is crucial — experts recommend seed sowing in the first fortnight of June, and transplantation in July.
  • Sowing in May often leads to problems as the month’s high temperatures are favourable to the disease.
  • Fields where the nursery is being set up must also be well-drained, with proper irrigation, to avoid the spread of foot rot.
  • Currently, seedlings are treated with Trichoderma harzianum before sowing and transplantation.
  • Seeds are also treated with fungicides such as Sprint 75 WS (carbendazim + mancozeb) before sowing.
  • But these are the chemical treatments which are harmful for the soil, and can be toxic for consumers of the rice.
  • The fungicide carbendazim is already banned in Punjab because it leaves behind high residues.
  • This biocontrol agent offers a non-chemical alternative to traditional pesticides, aiding in disease management while minimising environmental harm.
  • The use of Trichoderma asperellum showed “excellent results” during the experimental phase, as a means to combat foot rot “without leaving harmful residues on the crop” and “compromising environmental safety.
Source- Indian Express

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