Author(s): R. DAS

Abstract: Alternaria blight of rapeseed-mustard caused by the fungus Alternaria brassicae (Berk.) Sacc. is an economically important disease and occurs regularly during the winter season in West Bengal with an average loss in yield of about 47%. Therefore to manage this detrimental disease, an experiment was conducted during the winter season of 2013-14 at the Pulses and Oilseeds Research Station, Berhampore, Murshidabad, West Bengal. Different treatments namely, seed treatment with Metalaxyl 35% @ 6 g Kg-1 seed followed by one or two foliar spray of six different fungicides viz. Mancozeb 75% WP, Metalaxyl 8%+ Mancozeb 64% WP, Hexaconazole 25 EC, Difenconazole 25 EC, Propiconazole 25 EC and Trifloxystrobin 25% + Tebuconazole 50% ready mix compound were tested against the disease. All the fungicides are significantly effective in reducing disease severity and increasing seed yield. However, the lowest disease severity (9.6 % on leaf and 14.3 % on pod) and highest increase of seed yield (74.02 %) with maximum increase of test weight (16.30 %) were recorded from seed treatment with Metalaxyl 35% (6 g Kg-1 seed) followed by first spray of Mancozeb 75% WP (0.25%) and second spray of Trifloxystrobin 25%+ Tebuconazole 50% (0.1%).

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