Evaluation of fungi-toxicants against root rot of cotton caused by Macrophomina phaseolina under screen house conditions

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is one of the most important and extensively grown cash crops in India. It contributes significantly to our national economy. However, root rot disease caused by Macrophomina phaseolina is one of the major soil-borne diseases of this crop which is responsible for poor crop stand and lower yield in northern cotton growing states. The disease causes total loss in patches in the field Therefore, keeping in view the importance of this disease, the present investigation was carried out to find out the effective management of this disease with fungicides. Six fungi toxicants were evaluated as seed treatment to test their efficacy in pre and post emergence mortality due to root rot on American cotton (Gossypium hirsutum var. HS 6) and desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum var. HD 432). For fungicidal control in screen house condition, seed treatment with carbendazim was found superior than other fungicides in controlling this disease as it exhibited 68–78.3% disease control in American cotton and 75.5–82.8% disease control in Desi cotton. Besides carbendazim, MEMC and carboxin + thiram were found effective against root rot of cotton.