7.9 Sett treatment
Red rot of sugarcane is a major production constraint in sugarcane cultivation. Usage of chemical fungicides for the management of red rot was less effective to protect the crop. Since, PGPR act as a predominant prokaryote in the rhizosphere, fluorescent pseudomonads were explored for the management of red rot under field conditions. Viswanathan and Samiyappan (2002) delivered fluorescent pseudomonads through sett treatment. Two budded sugarcane setts were soaked in talc formulation of
P. fluorescens (20g/l) for one hour and incubated for 18h prior to planting. Planting of treated setts increased cane growth, sugar recovery and reduced red rot incidence under field conditions.