RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Foliar diseases which rapidly spread and cause epidemics can be managed effectively by developing suitable disease management stratagies. In order to develop a suitable disease management protocol an attempt was made to evaluate different fungicides for the control of turcicum leaf blight. The treatment details, disease severity data are presented in the Table 2.
A perusal of the results indicates that all the treatments are superior in reducing the PDI of turcicum leaf blight of maize over control. The treatment mancozeb 0.25% and combination treatments of carbendazim and mancozeb i.e. saff 0.25% recorded the lowest percent disease index reducing the disease by 73.0% and 72.1% respectively. The treatment which had a combination metriram + pyraclostrobin i.e. cabriotop 0.3% was found to be the next best treatment in reducing the disease by 61.5% with PDI of 14.6 following propiconazole with PDI of 18.6.
The lowest reduction in disease was found by carbendazim 0.1% which could reduce the disease by 28.9% only with PDI of 27.3 over control followed by tebuconazole 0.1% alone with PDI of 21.0.
The results showed that (mancozeb 0.25%) and (carbendazim + mancozeb) was significantly superior over other treatments and can be recommended for the control of disease under field conditions.
From similar studies Harlapur (2005) observed carboxin powder seed treatment (2 g kg-1) followed by two sprays of mancozeb (0.25 %) resulting in significantly minimum PDI and maximum grain yield. The effectiveness of fungicides mancozeb, propiconazole and carboxin against Exserohilum turcicum has been reported by earlier workers Singh and Gupta (2000) and Patil et al., (2000) in maize. Pandurangegowda et al., (1993) reported that the foliar spray with mancozeb 0.25% three times at 10 day interval was found to be more effective and significantly reduced TLB severity and increased grain yield. Kumar et al., (1977) and Kachapur (1988) have reported that maneb followed by mancozeb effective in controlling TLB of maize.
VII. CONCLUSION
The management studies showed that (mancozeb 0.25%) and (carbendazim + mancozeb 0.25%) was significantly superior over other treatments and can be recommended for the control of disease under field conditions.