Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2022)

Author(s):
MK Sheshma, SS Kakraliya and Dhanni Devi

Abstract:
The present experiment was conducted under in vivo conditions to observe the effect of botanicals against Cercospora canescens. Six treatments with three replications were taken in Randomised Block Design. To manage the disease an investigation was carried out in the research laboratory of Department of Plant Pathology, SHIATS-DU, Allahabad where the efficacy of different plant extracts viz. Neem (Azadirachta indica), Dhatura (Datura stramonium) Garlic (Allium sativum) Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), Aswagandha (Withania somnifera) and Alovera (Aloe barbadensis) @ 10% against Cercospora canescens were evaluated. Azadirachta indica was found to be the most effective treatment and recorded minimum disease intensity (25.69%), maximum no. of pod per plant, maximum weight of pod (g) and yield (q/ha) followed by Terminalia arjuna, Alovera leaf, Withania somnifera, Datura stramonium and Allium sativum. The cost of each treatment including material and labour were calculated and the revenue of each derived using the value of the marketable yield of mungbean. The cost: benefit ratios of sprayed treatments were derived by comparing the cost of each plant protection regime against the additional market value of the treatment yield above that obtained in the control treatment. With the exception of plots sprayed with botanical, the cost of plant protection using Attack was higher than any of the botanicals in both seasons. The highest cost: benefit ratio of 1: 2.23 was observed for plots sprayed with extract of neem leaf @ 10% as compared to untreated control (1: 1.14) followed by Arjun leaf @ 10% (1: 2.13), Alovera leaf @ 10 (1: 2.08), Aswagandha leaf @ 10% (1: 1.85), Dhatura leaf @ 10% (1: 1.80) and Garlic clove @ 10% (1: 1.51). Botanical agents differed markedly in levels of disease control and cost: benefit but some were comparable to that from conventional fungicides use whilst being produced easily from locally available plant materials and are likely to be safer to use for smallholder farmers and consumers in developing countries.