Evaluation of Neem Formulations Against Sheath Blight Disease of Rice

Field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2004 and 2005 to evaluate the relative efficacy of five different neem formulations (containing 300, 1500, 3000, 10, 000 and 50, 000 ppm azadirachtin) sprayed in three timings (7 am, 11 am, 4 pm) and three doses (3.0, 4.5 and 7.0 ml/l) against sheath blight disease of rice. Swarna, sheath blight susceptible cultivar was chosen for the study. Among the neem formulations, 0.03%EC (300ppm azadirachtin) followed by 0.15% EC (1500 azadirachtin) were found superior to others, both in reducing sheath blight disease and increasing grain yield, when sprayed during afternoon hours (4 pm) @ 4.5 ml/l and may be recommended to the farmers for ecofriendly management of sheath blight disease.