Assessment of Yield Loss due to Finger Millet Blast Caused by Pyricularia grisea (Cooke) Sacc.

Loss in Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L) Gaertn.] caused by blast disease Pyricularia greisea (Cooke) Sacc., is a major concern of finger millet growers worldwide. Blast is considered as the most injurious disease of finger millet in south Gujarat, resulting in severe loss especially to susceptible finger millet cutivars. The avoidable loss of grain yield and fodder yield was estimated to be 35.78 and 43.72 per cent due to the blast disease, respectively. With the proper protection measures, 70.45, 67.72 and 62.97 per cent disease of leaf blast, neck blast and finger blast can be controlled, respectively. The blast can be protected by giving the seed treatment with bavistin (3g/kg of seed) + two spray of tricyclazole (0.6g/lit. of water).