Among the fungal diseases, root rot complex of chilli is a serious infestation. In standing plants yellowing and wilting are usually preceded by light to dark brown lesions on the stem adjacent to the ground followed by drooping and wilting of infected leaves and gradual wilting of the whole plant.
Mature plants dry suddenly. Seedlings affected by this infestation die soon after germination.
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Grow resistant varieties viz., CO-4 and DLC-352, moderately resistant varieties, viz., Ajeet-3 DLC-524, F-112-5-83, KCS-2013, Hot pepper Nun-2060. Do not grow susceptible variety Sel 11.
Seed treatment with bioagents like T. harzianum and T. viride (@ 8-10 g/kg seed) can be effective against the disease.
Seed treatments with T. harzianum (at 20 g / kg soil), chaetomium globosum (at 20 g / kg soil), garlic bulb extract (at 5 per cent), vitavax (at 1 gm/ kg seed) mixed together or T. harzianum, vitavax, garlic bulb extract mixed together or C. globosum, vitavax and garlic bulb extract can effectively manage the disease. Bioagent Trichoderma spp and soil application of neem cake, trichoderma, mustard cake or trichoderma together with karanj cake is most effective with maximum seed germination and least total mortality.
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Soil drenching of the fungicides viz., tebuconazole (0.1 per cent), carboxin (0.25 per cent) and chlorothalonil (0.20 per cent) at 7 days after transplanting can effectively control the disease (S. rolfsii).
Soil application (two weeks before transplanting) of organic amendments viz., neem seed powder (at 0.05 g/kg), neem cake (at 0.15 g/kg) and mint manure (at 0.75 g/kg) can control the disease.
Root dipSeedling root dip with carbendazim+ mancozeb (at 0.1 per cent), addition of vermicompost (100g/kg soil), drenching of fungicide carbendazim+diathane M-45 (at 0.1 per cent) and soil application of T.viride (10 gm/pot) were also effective.
(Utpal Dey is Ph.D. scholar, Department of Plant Pathology, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharashtra, email: utpaldey86@gmail.com and Dr. A. P. Suryawanshi is Head, Department of Plant Pathology, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharashtra.)