Fungicidal Management of Sheath Rot Disease of Rice Caused by Sarocladium oryzae

Sheath rot caused by Sarocladium oryzae (Sawada) Games and Hawksworth has become a serious problem in most of the rice growing area of the country. In India this disease was first time reported by Agnihothrudu (1973). Densely planted field are more susceptible to Sarocladium oryzae infection. The fungus tends to attack the leaf sheaths enclosing young panicles, which retards or aborts the emergence of panicles. Seed from infected panicles becomes discolored and sterile, thereby reducing in grain yield and yield losses varied from 9.6 to 85% depending on the weather conditions during the crop growth period (Phookhan and Hazarika, 1992).