Maydis leaf blight (MLB) of maize is one of the devastating foliar diseases which causes variable losses across the world. The experimental study was carried out to manage maydis leaf blight with fungicides, plant defense activators, botanicals and biocontrol agents in field conditions for two consecutive years during rabi 2020-21 and 2021-22 at Navsari Agricultural university, Gujarat. In the present study various treatments were evaluated in field and among the different fungicidal treatments, foliar spray with trifloxystrobin 25% + tebuconazole 50% WG at 0.05% was found more effective with least per cent disease incidence (PDI) (35.75 %) at 90 days after sowing (DAS) and higher grain yield (56 q/ha) which is at par with propiconazole 25 EC at 0.1 per cent (54.50 q/ha), azoxystrobin 25% EC + difenconazole 25% SC at 0.05 per cent 54.33 q/ha and azoxystrobin 23 SC at 0.1 per cent (52.33 q/ha). Among non-chemical methods, lowest PDI i.e., 45.46 % at 90DAS was recorded when crop was sprayed with salicylic acid (0.75%) which was significantly lower followed by 46.67% in Pseudomonas fluorescens at 0.5% and also higher grain yield (Pooled) was recorded in case of salicylic acid at 0.75% (47.11 q/ha) followed by P. fluorescens at 0.5% (45.67 q/ha).

Maydis leaf blight, Plant Defence activators, Field evaluation, fungicides, botanicals, biocontrol agents, Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas fluorescens

According to the findings from the present study, two sprays, first at disease initiation (40 DAS) and second at 25 days after the first spray with trifloxystrobin (25%) + tebuconazole (50%) at 0.05 per cent recorded significantly lowest disease intensity (28.66 %) with the highest yield (56.00 q/ha) and found to be the most effective for the management of maydis leaf blight disease and increasing grain yield over control. It also concludes that trifloxystrobin (25%) + tebuconazole (50%) at 0.05 per cent was found effective and also other chemical treatments such as propiconazole (25% EC) at 0.1 per cent, azoxystrobin (25% EC) + difenconazole (25% SC) at 0.05 per cent, azoxystrobin (23% SC) at 0.1 per cent, mancozeb (75% WP) at 0.2 per cent which can be used as alternate option because all these treatments were found at par with each other along with integration of non-chemical approaches reduces the environmental hazards and production cost incurred on the farmers.

Siddu Lakshmi Prasanna, Priya John, Apurvkumar M. Patel, Rathna V. and Sangeeta Sabanna Bhajantri (2023). Field efficacy of Fungicides, Biocontrol Agents, Botanicals and Plant Defence Activators against Maydis Leaf Blight of Maize caused by Bipolaris maydis. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(9): 831-836.