Rice blast

Caused by: Magnaporthe grisea (Pyricularia oryzae)
Problem Category: Fungal Disease
Symptoms: The disease can infect all growth stages and aerial pots (leaf, neck and node) of paddy. Among the three leaf and neck infections are more severe. Small spots originate on the leaves – subsequently enlarge into spindle shaped spots with ashy centre. Later they coalesce and leaf becomes dry. In severe cases entire crop gives a burnt appearance. Lodging of crop or neck region develops black path and patch and shrivels completely / partially. Grainset inhibited, panicle breaks at the neck and hangs.
Comments: Favourable conditions - Day temperature 30OC, night temperature 20OC, relative humidity >85% and day length 14 hours.
Management: 1. Resistant Varieties: Nellore sannalu (NLR-3041), Sweta (NLR-40024), Bahadur, chandrama, kushal, manoharsali, moniram, pamindra, piolee basundhara, satyaranjan 2. Use seed from disease free crop. Field sanitation. 3. Adjusting sowing dates (early sowing).
Control: 4. Spraying of cattle dung + urine + asafetida solutions. 5. Use leaf extract of bael or tulsi @ 250g in 10 litres of water and spray 3-4 times at an interval of 7-10 days. For one ha 500 litres of such spray formulation is required. 6. Use Lantana leaf spray/asafoetida in 5kg cattle dung in 5 lit of Cattle urine solution. Ferment for 3-4 days after adding. 50 g Asafoetida. Add 150 g lime(chuna) before spraying. 7. Spray 6% Sour butter Milk solution.