<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><article>
  <title>Efficacy of botanicals and bioagents against root rot of cowpea incited by Rhizoctonia bataticola</title>

      <doi>https://doi.org/10.21276/AATCCReview.2026.14.01.18</doi>
  
  <authors>
          <author>
        <name>Megha Asiwal</name>
                  <orcid>https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6693-0449</orcid>
              </author>
          <author>
        <name>Shailesh Godika</name>
                  <orcid>https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4820-4335</orcid>
              </author>
          <author>
        <name>S.K. Goyal</name>
                  <orcid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6485-8581</orcid>
              </author>
          <author>
        <name>Dinesh Kumar Meena</name>
                  <orcid>https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7007-2494</orcid>
              </author>
          <author>
        <name>Rinki Choudhary</name>
                  <orcid>https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8103-2470</orcid>
              </author>
      </authors>

      <abstract><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cowpea [</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vigna unguiculata</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (L.) Walp], an annual legume, is subject to root rot, a major disease incited by the fungus </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rhizoctonia bataticola</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Macrophomina phaseolina</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">). This infection leads to leaf yellowing, rapid defoliation, wilting, and necrosis, as the pathogen blocks the plant&#8217;s vascular bundles and secretes toxins. Infected stems and leaves become dry, brittle, and straw-colored. An experiment to address this disease was conducted at the farm of SKNCOA, Jobner, during </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kharif</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2023. Cowpea root rot, a major disease, leads to symptoms like leaf yellowing, rapid defoliation, wilting, necrosis, and dry, brittle stems/leaves due to vascular blockage. An experiment conducted in </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kharif</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2023 at SKNCOA, Jobner to tested the management strategies against this pathogen. Six botanicals were tested at 5, 10, and 15% concentrations by the poisoned food technique, among these garlic (86.43, 93.96 and 97.16%), was found most effective in inhibiting mycelial growth, followed by neem (84.76, 90.40 and 94.93%) leaves extract. Similarly, under field conditions using seed treatment, garlic (28.03%) was the most effective botanical, followed by neem (34.56%). Among four bioagents tested via the dual culture technique, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma harzianum </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(79.87%) was the most effective in inhibiting mycelial growth, followed by </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma viride </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(71.75%). Field application as a seed treatment confirmed these results, with </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma harzianum</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (26.46%) being the most effective bioagent against the root rot pathogen, followed by </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma viride</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (33.80%).</span></p>
]]></abstract>
  
  <body><![CDATA[<div class="aatcc-article-container"><div class="aatcc-category-label">Original Research Article</div><div class="aatcc-meta-box"><div class="aatcc-authors-wrap"><span class="aatcc-author-item">Megha Asiwal<sup>1</sup><a href="https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6693-0449" target="_blank">
                    <img decoding="async" src="https://orcid.org/sites/default/files/images/orcid_16x16.png" class="aatcc-orcid-icon">
                </a></span> <span class="aatcc-author-item">Shailesh Godika<sup>1</sup><a href="https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4820-4335" target="_blank">
                    <img decoding="async" src="https://orcid.org/sites/default/files/images/orcid_16x16.png" class="aatcc-orcid-icon">
                </a></span> <span class="aatcc-author-item">S.K. Goyal<sup>1</sup><a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6485-8581" target="_blank">
                    <img decoding="async" src="https://orcid.org/sites/default/files/images/orcid_16x16.png" class="aatcc-orcid-icon">
                </a></span> <span class="aatcc-author-item">Dinesh Kumar Meena<sup>1</sup><a href="https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7007-2494" target="_blank">
                    <img decoding="async" src="https://orcid.org/sites/default/files/images/orcid_16x16.png" class="aatcc-orcid-icon">
                </a></span> <span class="aatcc-author-item">Rinki Choudhary<sup>2</sup><a href="https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8103-2470" target="_blank">
                    <img decoding="async" src="https://orcid.org/sites/default/files/images/orcid_16x16.png" class="aatcc-orcid-icon">
                </a></span></div><div class="aatcc-affiliations-wrap"><div class="aatcc-affiliation-item">
                        <sup>1</sup> Department of Plant Pathology,SKN College of Agriculture, SKNAU, Jobner, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303329, India
                    </div><div class="aatcc-affiliation-item">
                        <sup>2</sup> Department of Plant Pathology,Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Beechwal, Bikaner, 334006, India
                    </div></div><div class="aatcc-doi-wrap">
            <a class="aatcc-doi-btn" href="https://doi.org/10.21276/AATCCReview.2026.14.01.18" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.21276/AATCCReview.2026.14.01.18</a>
        </div><div class="aatcc-abstract-section">
                <h3>Abstract</h3>
                <div class="aatcc-abstract-text"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cowpea [</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vigna unguiculata</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (L.) Walp], an annual legume, is subject to root rot, a major disease incited by the fungus </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rhizoctonia bataticola</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Macrophomina phaseolina</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">). This infection leads to leaf yellowing, rapid defoliation, wilting, and necrosis, as the pathogen blocks the plant&#8217;s vascular bundles and secretes toxins. Infected stems and leaves become dry, brittle, and straw-colored. An experiment to address this disease was conducted at the farm of SKNCOA, Jobner, during </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kharif</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2023. Cowpea root rot, a major disease, leads to symptoms like leaf yellowing, rapid defoliation, wilting, necrosis, and dry, brittle stems/leaves due to vascular blockage. An experiment conducted in </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kharif</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2023 at SKNCOA, Jobner to tested the management strategies against this pathogen. Six botanicals were tested at 5, 10, and 15% concentrations by the poisoned food technique, among these garlic (86.43, 93.96 and 97.16%), was found most effective in inhibiting mycelial growth, followed by neem (84.76, 90.40 and 94.93%) leaves extract. Similarly, under field conditions using seed treatment, garlic (28.03%) was the most effective botanical, followed by neem (34.56%). Among four bioagents tested via the dual culture technique, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma harzianum </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(79.87%) was the most effective in inhibiting mycelial growth, followed by </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma viride </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(71.75%). Field application as a seed treatment confirmed these results, with </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma harzianum</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (26.46%) being the most effective bioagent against the root rot pathogen, followed by </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trichoderma viride</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (33.80%).</span></p>
</div>
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