EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT FUNGICIDES AGAINST BLAST, BROWN LEAF SPOT AND SHEATH BLIGHT OF RICE UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS IN SHEIKHUPURA, PAKISTAN

Blights, blasts and leaf spot diseases of rice limit the grain yield and deteriorate the produce quality. A field study was carried out for evaluating various fungicides to manage paddy diseases; brown leaf spot, blast & sheath blight under field conditions at research area of Adaptive Research Farm Sheikhupura, Punjab Pakistan during crop season kharif 2018 & 2019. An experiment was conducted in RCB design with three repeats and five treatments including control. Treatments comprised of four different fungicides viz: Azoxystrobin + Difenoconazol, Kasugamysin + Copperoxychloride, Copper Hydroxide & Trifloxystrobin + Tubeconazol @ 500 ml, 625 ml, 625 g & 160 g ha^-1 respectively and a control (untreated check plot). Among the chemical fungicides Azoxystrobin + Difenoconazol @ 500 ml ha^-1 was found effective against brown leaf spot and sheath blight with 84.6 % & 81.7 % decrease over control along with 37.4 & 36.7 percent higher yield than check plot followed by Trifloxystrobin + Tubeconazol with 74.8 & 74.3 percent protection values as compared to control during years 2018 & 2019 respectively. In case of paddy blast the fungicide containing Kasugamycin + Copperoxychloride showed better results with 82.5% & 79.4% decrease over control. Maximum incidence level of Brown leaf spot, paddy blast and sheath blight were found in control (non-treated plot) during both years. So, azoxystrobin+ difenoconazol and kasugamycin containing fungicides could be suggested for management of brown leaf spot, sheath blight and paddy blast.