In-vitro and In-vivo Management of Seed Borne Fungal Diseases of Maize

Abstract

The research experiment was conducted during 2021-22 to test the efficacy of seed dressing fungicides and bioagents against seed borne fungal infections In-vitro and In-vivo conditions. In-vitro experiments showed that, in terms of seed germination, Pseudomonas fluorescens at 10 g/kg seeds achieved the highest germination rate (96.66%) and a significant increase in vigor index (3371), though Carboxin 37.5% + Thiram 37.5% WP at 2 g/kg seeds had the highest vigor index (3882) and the greatest reduction in seed infection (92.85%). Carbendazim 50WP at 2 g/kg seeds showed a remarkable decrease in seed infection (86.73%) and a high vigor index (3648). In field the treatments significantly reduced the incidence of charcoal stalk rot, turcicum leaf blight, and fusarium stalk rot compared to the untreated control. Notably, Mancozeb 50% + Carbendazim 25% WS at 2 g/kg seeds showed the highest reduction in charcoal stalk rot incidence (48.45%) and turcicum leaf blight (24.98%). The same treatment also resulted in the highest yield (45.76 q/ha) and shelling percentage (84.51%).