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