EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON BLAST DISEASE OF FINGER MILLET (ELEUSINE CORACANA (L) GAERTN.) INCITED BY PYRICULARIA GRISEA (CKE) SACC

Under favourable environmental conditions the losses caused by Pyricularia grisea are severe due to leaf, neck and finger blast in finger millet. The highest incidence of neck blast of 72.67 and 67.00 per cent was noticed in the susceptible genotypes VR-708 and KM-252 respectively in June 16 th sown crop, where minimum temperature of 26.1 o C, maximum temperature of 32.36 o C, relative humidity of 89.9 per cent and a very high amount of rainfall prevailed. Highest finger blast severity of 58.32 and 51.37 per cent in genotypes VR-708 and KM-252 respectively in June 16 th sown crop. Similarly highest incidence of leaf blast (grade-4) was recorded in June 16 th sown VR-708. The variety PR-202 performed better in all four dates of sowing and recorded the highest grain yield of 3685 kg/ha in August 2 nd sown crop. The investigations revealed that increased leaf, neck and finger blast was due to increased temperature, significantly high amount of rainfall and high relative humidity and vice versa for low blast disease development.