Journal of Plant Pathology & Microbiology

Abstract

Effect of Seed Treatment and Mixed Cropping on Management of Garlic White Rot (Sclerotium cepivorum Berk) in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Zeray Siyoum Gebreslasie*

White rot caused by a soil borne fungus (Sclerotium cepivorum Berk) is a major production threat of garlic where ever the crop is grown. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of integrated management of garlic white rot using garlic/Brassica mixed cropping and tebuconazole application on epidemics of the disease, and yield and yield components garlic. Field experiment was conducted in H/wajirat at ‘’Gumsalasa’’ irrigation schame on garlic white rot naturally infested field in 2013 and 2014. Five level of tebuconazole (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 ml/kg) in a factorial treatment combination of garlic mixed cropped in rows with Brassica (G:B) in 1:1 was employed. Similar garlic sizes a clove treatment were treated with different level tebuconazole before planting. A randomized complete block design with three replications was employed. A total of ten treatments were evaluated per replication. Tebuconazole application at different rate gave reduced the disease epidemic and improved garlic yield. However, among tebuconazole different application rate treated plots tebuconazole application at 1 ml/kg was the most effective in reducing the disease epidemics and gave better yield advantage. In tebuconazole application at 1 ml/kg treated plot 62.8, 48.83 and 18.09% reduced incidence, area under disease progress and severity were recorded, respectively as compared to garlic/Brassica mixed cropping and untreated plot. Significantly higher increment on total and marketable yield was observed in 1 ml/kg tebuconazole application treated plot as compared to other treatments. In 1 ml/kg tebuconazole application rate treated plot 58.7% marketable yield increments were obtained as compared to untreated plot. Tebuconazole treated plot at 1 ml/kg maximized the net benefit, which exceeded by 115,746.67 was obtained over untreated plot. The marginal rate of return on tebuconazole at 0.25 ml/kg treated plot over untreated plot was 1375.88%. Based on the observation and findings garlic is high value crop, and white rot is potential threat in the major garlic growing areas of in the study area. Therefore, application of tebuconazole at 0.25 ml/kg integrated with garlic/Brassica can be considered as management strategy to reduce disease epidemics and improve garlic yield in study area and other similar ago ecologies.

Published Date: 2023-06-05; Received Date: 2023-03-29