Biological management of Sclerotium rot of chilli

Abstract

Sclerotium rot of chilli caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. is one of the most devastating soil-borne diseases which pose a problem for the successful cultivation of the crop. The present field investigation was carried out for the biological management of Sclerotium rot of chilli during the rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21. It was found that all the modules effectively reduced the incidence of the disease. Among the biological modules, seed treatment with T. viride + P. fluorescens @ 10.0 g/kg of seed and soil application of T. viride and P. fluorescens @ 2.5 kg/ha and soil application of neem cake @ 5 q/ha + drenching with T. viride and P. fluorescens @ 10 g/l of water each twice at 10 days interval starting from 30 DAT was most effective in reducing the incidence of the disease by 56.2% and increasing the fruit yield by 66.7% in comparison to untreated control. The treatment also improved soil microbial status and achieved the highest plant growth promotion in plant height, leaf number, and maximum B: C ratio of 2.26.