EFFICIENCY OF SELECTED BOTANICALS AGAINST (ALTERNARIA SOLANI) CAUSING EARLY BLIGHT DISEASE ON TOMATO IN AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Asma Bashir, Muhammad Tariq‐Khan, Raees Ahmed, Basharat Mehmood, Muhammad Younas, Hafiz Matee Rehman
Abstract
Botanical extracts had proved efficient, cost effective and environment friendly means of plant disease management. Alternaria solani is a fungal pathogen responsible for early blight resulting in huge economic losses. There is dire need for effective cheap alternatives of conventional health hazardous and expensive chemical control. In this study i n-vitro evaluation of four plant extracts ( Melia azedarach, Cannabis sativa , Achillia millefolium and Datura stramonium ) were used against early blight disease on tomato at 3 different concentrations (10, 15 and 20%) in complete randomized design. Pathogen was isolated from different tomato growing areas of Rawalakot, purified and multiplied on potato dextrose agar (PDA) followed by hyphal tip method. Food poisoned technique was used for fungal growth inhibition. M. azedarach was found most efficient with 73.18% inhibition at 20%, followed by C. sativa, D. stramonium and A. millefolium (55.79%, 37.12% and 31.9% respectively) as compared to control (88.2%). Tomato variety (Roma) was used as experimental material with Completely Randomized Design in the greenhouse experiment. M. azedarach showed highest reduction of early blight disease severity 67.93% at 20% concentration followed by C. sativa , D. stramonium and A. millefolium (53.63%, 43.28%, and 31.78%) respectively while it was 87.3% in control. Study showed that plant extracts could be used as alternatives of highly expensive, health hazardous chemicals to control early blight disease on tomato.