Efficacy of Copper Hydroxide Against Fungal Diseases in Flue-cured Virginia Tobacco Nurseries

Copper hydroxide 77% was evaluated against fungal diseases in Flue-cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco nurseries in Karnataka light soil region. All the treatments involving copper hydroxide 77% either alone or in combination with metalaxyl MZ 72 WP were significantly superior to untreated check for the control of damping-off (63.8 to 83.6%), blight (62.2 to 77.4%) and black shank diseases (50.0 to 78.8%) in nursery as well as for the production of healthy transplants (601–694 per sq.m). All these treatment schedules were on par with the recommended schedule of metalaxyl MZ + carbendazim for the control of these diseases as well as for other foliar spot diseases such as anthracnose and frog-eye. The results suggested reduced usage of metalaxyl MZ and carbendazim to avoid the development of possible resistance and effective use of copper hydroxide 77% for the overall management of nursery diseases.