Integrated Seed Treatment and Foliar Fungicide Application for the Management of Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight (Rhizoctonia solani f. sp. sasakii) of Maize

Abstract

Banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB), caused by Rhizoctonia solani f. sp. sasakii, is one ofthe major constraints to maize production in Nepal. This study evaluated the effectiveness of seed treatment and foliar fungicide application for managing BLSB and improving maize yield. The pathogen was isolated, identified, and mass-multiplied on barley grains at the Plant Pathology Laboratory of the Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan. The experiment was conducted using a 3 x 10 factorial split-plot design With three seed treatments and ten foliar fungicide treatments. Artificial inoculation was performed at the knee-high stage to ensure uniform disease development. Disease incidence, percent disease severity (PDS), area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), yield components, and grain yield were recorded. Seed treatments did not significantly affect disease incidence, PDS, or AUDPC, but significantly influenced grain yield and several yield-attributing traits. Among the foliar fungicides, propiconazole 25% at 0.1 % recorded the lowest disease incidence (9.03%), PDS (484%), and AUDPC (312.35), while validamycin 3% at 0.2% produced the highest grain yield (3.42 t ha^-1). Carbendazim seed treatment recorded the highest grain yield among seed treatments (2.99 t ha^-1). These findings indicate that appropriate foliar fungicide application can effectively suppress BLSB and improve maize productivity under Nepalese conditions.