Biocontrol efficacy of bacterial antagonists in the management of sheath rot disease of rice

Rice is affected by number of fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. Among the fungal diseases, sheath rot caused by Sarocladium oryzae has been reported to cause considerable loss in yield. Bacterial biocontrol agents viz., Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf₁) and Bacillus subtilis have been formulated in different carriers viz., gypsum, peat soil and talc powder. Their longevity and biocontrol efficacy against sheath rot incidence were assessed under artificially inoculated condition. The results revealed that gypsum based formulation of two bioagents were effective in controlling the disease by recording the disease incidence of 10.67 per cent and 12.00 per cent respectively. Under field condition also, gypsum based formulation of these biocontrol agents were found to be more effective in controlling sheath rot incidence than the talc and peat based formulations.