Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-5 (U.P.)
Field experiments conducted during 1969 and 1970 cropping seasons to control rough leaf spot and zonate leaf spot diseases of jowar caused by Ascochyta sorghina sacc. and Gloeocercospora sorghi Bain and Edgt. respectively showed that non-copper fungicides and antibiotics reduced the intensity of the diseases and increased the grain yield considerably. Dichlone (Phygon-XL), Captafol (Difolatan-80 W) and aureofungin were the most effective giving higher grain yields over the control. Mancozeb (Dithane M-45) followed by Zincop were little less effective, but resulted in a considerable increase of grain yield.
The copper fungicide, Bordeaux mixture, although reduced the disease intensity to some extent, was phytotoxic to the crop and suppressed the grain yield. Increase in grain yield by the fungicides and antibiotics was not entirely due to disease control, but it was also due to some direct stimulatory effect of the fungicides and antibiotics on the crop. Mycostatin and griseofulvin were the least effective against the two diseases under test.
