Pantnagar Journal of Research

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is a high value cash crop which is grown in different states of India including Uttarakhand, a hilly area situated in northern Himalayas. The low productivity of ginger is due to prone to various diseases and insect pests in which rhizome rot disease is one of the major obstacles caused by the fungus Pythium spp. and Fusarium spp. that reduces the yield potential drastically and may cause economic damage of 50-90 % to the crop under conducive environmental conditions. Rhizome rot disease is one of the most important ginger diseases in view of severe crop losses as it directly affects the economic part of the plant. Keeping this in view, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different chemical and non-chemical treatments against ginger rhizome rot. The experiment was comprised of 14 treatments (T1 to T14) including Control (untreated), applied as seed treatment followed by two soil drenching. All the treatments were found significantly superior towards plant growth promotion, rhizome yield and disease suppression when compared to untreated control. However, the treatment T6 (Metalaxyl 3.3% + Chlorothalonil 33.1% SC) was found best with respect to disease suppression (81.09% ROC) and yield (14.01 t/ha) followed by T5 (Metalaxyl 4%+ Mancozeb 64% WP) with 78.66 % ROC for rhizome rot and yield of 13.89 t/ha and T13 (Trichoderma harzianum @ 0.5% +Pseudomonas fluorescence @ 0.5%) with 78.60% ROC for rhizome rot and yield of 13.42 t/ha which were statistically at par. With respect to plant growth promotion, treatment T13 (Trichoderma harzianum @ 0.5% +Pseudomonas fluorescence @ 0.5%) was found best with maximum number of tillers, plant height and number of leaves followed by T14 (Herbal Kunapajala @ 12.5%), T11 (Trichoderma harzianum @ 1%) and T12 (Pseudomonas fluorescence @ 1%). The highest cost benefit ratio (1: 2.56) was recorded with the treatment T13 whereas the next highest ratios of 1: 2.53 and 1: 2.50 were achieved with the treatments T6 and T5, respectively. This study, thus, concludes that all the treatments reduced severity of disease and improved plant growth traits though the treatment T13 was found most promising and economic when applied as seed treatment along with two periodic soil drenching as it minimized ginger rhizome rot and at the same time improved growth parameters and yield with highest cost benefit ratio followed by the treatments T6 and T5 under present experimental materials and conditions.