EVALUATION OF FUNGICIDES AGAINST FALSE SMUT OF RICE CAUSED BY USTILAGINOIDEA VIRENS

False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is becoming a major disease of rice causing yield loss throughout the rice growing countries. In India, the disease has spread widely in recent years. In Kerala state also the trend is same. In the present study three fungicides viz., trifloxistrobin + tebuconazole 75WG (0.04 %), kresoxym methyl 44.3 SC (0.1%) and propiconazole 25 EC (0.1%) were evaluated against false smut in the field for two seasons. Spraying at three different stages of the crop viz., booting, 50 % panicle emergence (PE) and 100 % panicle emergence were tested. Propiconazole 25 EC (0.1 %) recorded lowest disease severity which was significantly less than the control when sprayed at any of the three crop growth stages tested. This was followed by trifloxistrobin + tebuconazole 75WG when sprayed at booting or 50% PE. Significantly higher yields were recorded when propiconazole 25EC was sprayed at booting, 50 % PE or 100 % PE stage and trifloxistrobin + tebuconazole 75 WG when sprayed at booting.