DISEASES OF FIELD & HORTICULTURAL CROPS &

THEIR MANAGEMENT - I

United University, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh-211003

United University, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh-211003

(Code- AGUCBG503T)

Unit-1

LECTURE
ON
“Blast Disease of Rice”
Delivered by - Dr. Agnivesh Yadav
Assistant Professor, United University
Prayagraj, U.P.-211003
 BLAST DISEASE
INTRODUCTION
• Pyricularia oryzae (Syn: P. grisea) (Sexual stage: Magnaporthe
grisea)
• The disease was first recorded in China in 1637. In Japan, it is
believed to have occurred as early as in 1704.
• In Italy the disease called “brusone” was reported in 1828 and in
USA in 1876. The disease was first recorded in Tanjore district of
Tamil Nadu in 1918.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
The pathogen causes yield loss ranging from 30-61 percent depending
upon the stage of infection. In severe cases, losses amounting to 70-80
percent of grain yield are reported.
 SYMPTOMS OF BLAST DISEASE
The fungus attacks the crop at all stages from seedlings in the nursery to heading in the main field.
The typical symptoms appear on leaves, leaf sheath, rachis, nodes and even the glumes are also attacked.

LEAF BLAST

 On the leaves, the lesions start as small water-soaked bluish-

green specks, soon enlarging and form characteristic spindle-
shaped spots with a grey center and dark brown margin.
 The spots join together as the disease progresses and large
areas of the leaves dry up and wither. Similar spots are also
formed on the sheath.
 Severely infected nurseries and fields show a burnt
appearance.
NODE BLAST

In infected nodes, irregular black areas that encircle the nodes can
be noticed. The affected nodes may break up and all the plant
parts above the infected nodes may die (Node blast).
NECK BLAST
 At the flower emergence, the fungus attacks the peduncle which is
engirdled, and the lesion turns brownish-black.
 This stage of infection is commonly referred to as rotten neck/neck
rot/neck blast/panicle blast. In early neck infection, grain filling does
not occur and the panicle remains erect like a dead heart caused by a
stem borer.
 In the late infection, partial grain filling occurs. Small brown to black
spots also may be observed on the glumes of the heavily infected
panicles.
 ETIOLOGY OF BLAST DISEASE
 The causal organism was first detected by Cavara in 1891 from
Italy. The mycelium of the fungus is hyaline to olivaceous, septate
and highly branched.
 Conidia are produced in clusters on long septate, olivaceous
slender conidiophores. Conidia are pyriform to obclavate or
somewhat top-shaped, attached at the broader base by a hilum.
Conidia are hyaline to pale olive green, usually 3 celled.
 The perfect state of the fungus is Magnaporthae grisea.
 It produces perithecia. The ascospores are hyaline, fusiform, 4
celled and slightly curved. The pathogen produces a few toxins
namely, α-picolinic acid, Pyricularin and pyriculol.
 DISEASE CYCLE OF RICE BLAST
 Mycelium and conidia in the infected straw and seeds are important sources of primary inoculum.
 The seed-borne inoculum fails to initiate the disease in the plains due to high soil temperature in
June.
 In both tropical and temperate regions, the fungus overwinters in straw piles or grain.
 In the tropics, one method of survival is through infection of collateral hosts such as Panicum repens
(torpedo grass), Digitaria marginata (crabgrass, finger-grass), Brachiaria mutica (Para grass),
Leersia hexandra (southern cutgrass, clubhead cutgrass, and swamp rice grass), Dinebra retroflexa
(Viper Grass), Echinochloa crusgalli (common barnyard grass), Setaria intermedia (bristly foxtail
grass, corn grass, Mary grass) and Stenotaphrum secondatum (Augustine grass ).
 The most probable source of perennation and initiation of the disease appear to be the grass hosts and
early sown paddy crop.
 The disease cycle is short and most damage is caused by secondary infections.
 Air can carry the conidia for long distances. The conidia from these sources are carried by air
DISEASE CYCLE OF RICE BLAST
 FAVORABLE CONDITIONS & FORECASTING
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS

Application of excessive doses of nitrogenous fertilizers, intermittent drizzles, cloudy weather, high relative
humidity (93-99 percent), low night temperature (between 15-20 0C or less than 260C), more number of rainy
days, longer duration of dew, cloudy weather, slow wind movement and availability of collateral hosts.

FORECASTING

Forecasting blast of rice can be made based on a minimum night temperature range of 20-26 0C in
association with a high relative humidity range of 90 percent and above lasting for a period of a week or
more during any of the three susceptible phases of crop growth, viz., seedling stage, post transplanting
tillering stage and neck emergence stage. In Japan, the first leaf blast model was developed and named as
BLAST. Later based on different field experiments various models were developed namely,
PYRICULARIA, PYRIVIEW, BLASTAM, and P BLAST. A model to forecast the disease called “Epi-
Bla” has been evolved in India.
 MANAGEMENT OF BLAST DISEASE
 Use of seeds from a disease-free crop.
 Grow resistant varieties like Simhapuri, Tikkana, Sriranga, Phalguna, Swarnadhan, Swarnamukhi,
MTU 7414, MTU 9992, MTU 1005, Swathi, IR 64, IR 36, Sravani, Jaya, Vijaya, Ratna, RP 4-14,
IET 1444, IR20, TKM 6, MTU-3 & 5.
 Remove and destroy the weed hosts in the field bunds and channels.
 Split application of nitrogen and judicious application of nitrogenous fertilizers.
 Treat the seeds with Captan or Thiram or Carbendazim or Carboxin or Tricyclazole at 2 g/kg.
 Seed treatment with biocontrol agent Trichoderma viride@ 4g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens @
10g/kg of seed. Avoid close spacing of seedlings in the main field.
 Spray the nursery with Carbendazim 25 g or Edifenphos 25 ml.
 Spray the main field with [email protected]% or [email protected]% or Tricyclazole @0.06% or
Thiophanate [email protected]%.
THANK
YOU