Ecofriendly Approaches for the Management of Grain Discolouration in Rice

Abstract

Ecofriendly methods for the management of grain discolouration in rice using plant oils, plant extracts and bacterial antagonist were tested in pot culture and field experiments. The field fungi such as Drechslera oryzae, Curvularia lunata and Fusarium moniliforme were predominantly associated with the grain discolouration in rice. In pot culture experiment, post inoculation spraying of neem oil 80 EC (3%) was highly effective in reducing the grain discolouration which was on par with carbendazim (250 g ha -1 ), rhizome extract (10%) of Curcuma longa , leaf extract (10%) of Nerium oleander, Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf1) (10 9 cfu ml -1 ) and leaf extract (10%) of Vinca rosea . In the field, spraying of neem oil 80EC (3%) at flowering stage and ten days later reduced the grain discolouration from 21.60 to 11.45 per cent which was on par with carbendazim (250 g ha -1 ), rhizome extract (10%) of C. longa , leaf extract (10%) of N. oleander and P. fluorescens (Pf1) (10 9 cfu ml -1 ). There was also significant increase in the grain yield due to these treatments compared to control.