Fusarium wilt of chilli and its Integrated Management

Abstract

newline During Kharif 2022 and 2023, survey was carried out in major vegetable-growing areas of the three districts viz., Jammu, Samba, and Udhampur of Jammu division. The pooled data revealed that the average disease incidence in Jammu division ranged from 16.67% to 28.05%, with an overall mean of 22.59 per cent. The data revealed that disease incidence had a significant positive correlation with minimum temp. (0.835), morning RH (0.916), evening RH (0.912), and rainfall (0.803). Isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. capsicicollected from different locations exhibited variation in morpho-cultural characters such as growth rate, colour, growth pattern, margins, and colony elevation. Molecular analysis using ISSR primers revealed a high level of genetic diversity among the forty isolates of pathogen. The similarity index among the isolates varied from 0.47 to 0.93. Twenty-seven genotypes were found moderately resistant. All other genotypes were moderately susceptible, susceptible and highly susceptible to the disease. Among phytoextracts garlic extract was found most effective treatment with 64.41% inhibition of pathogen at a 20 per cent concentration. Among the bioagents, Trichoderma harzianum was found to be the most effective with the inhibition of 73.61 per cent. Among the six fungicides tested under in vitro conditions, Carbendazim 12 % + Mancozeb 63% WPand Tebuconazole (25 %) + Trifloxystrobin (50 %) WG exhibited 100 per cent mycelial inhibition at recommended and half of recommended concentrations. Propineb 75 WP was found to be highly compatible with both T. harzianum and T. asperellum under in vitro conditions. Under field conditions, combination treatment of T. harzianum and Propineb 75 WP (1 x 106 spores/ml and 0.2%) and T. asperellum and Propineb75 WP (1 x 106 spores/ml and 0.2%) proved to be the most effective and resulted in minimum disease incidence (12.13%) and (13.22%) and maximum fruit yield per plant (234.01gm and 231.64gm).