Integrated Disease Management of False Smut of Rice Caused by Ustilaginoidea virens

Four rice genotypes viz., HRI 119, HRI 129, VRH 704 and Jaya and the effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizers under different combinations were screened against the false smut of rice. Among different genotypes HRI 119 was found resistant to false smut with a minimum of 4 and 1% disease incidence on tillers and grains, respectively. Disease incidence of false smut was found highest on genotype VRH 704. Application of different doses of NPK fertilizers revealed that with the increase in nitrogen dose, disease incidence increases whereas increase in phosphorus level resulted in the decline of disease incidence. Effect of botanicals and chemicals revealed that the combination of Prochloraz + Carbendazim was found best and decreased the disease incidence of false smut by 90 and 65% bothon tillers and grains and subsequently increased the grain yield by 44%. Azadirachtin and Cymbopogon extract significantly decreased the disease.