Department of Plant Pathology, C.P. College of Agriculture, Gujarat Agricultural University, Sardar Krushinagar - 385 506, India
The study was conducted in field naturally infested with Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricinl) by covering transparent polythylene, sheets (25 μm) for three weeks during hot summer season. Soil solarization increased mean soil temperature by 8.53°C with a range of 7.20°C to 10.12°C at 10 cm soil depth. It reduced the population of the castor wilt pathogen by 67.25 per cent, wilt incidence by 38.43 per cent and increased castor seed yield by 124.68 per cent as compared to non-solarized plots.
