Abstract:
The present investigation evaluates the effects of various chemicals on the fungal
pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lentis, which causes wilt disease in lentil crops.
Fusarium wilt is a major disease in lentils, leading to significant yield losses ranging from
50% to complete crop failure in severely affected fields, while fungicides like
azoxystrobin and tebuconazole help, their environmental impact limits use. Resistant
varieties struggle due to pathogen diversity and poor screening. This study aimed to
manage the Fusarium wilt of lentils with chemical strategies. The disease was evaluated
under field conditions, with lentil seeds treated with different chemicals to assess their
efficacy against the disease. Seven chemicals namely Thiram 75 % WP, Thiophanate
Methyl 70% WP, Azoxystrobin 20% + Difenconazole 12.5% WV, Propiconazole 25%
EC, Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% WG, Carbendazim 50% WP and
Tebuconazole 25.9 % EC, were used against the disease. Among all the chemicals
evaluated, Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% WG was found most effective
giving 60.34 percent disease control in the year 2023 and 63.44 per-cent disease control
in 2024 under field conditions- followed by 51.31, 52.83 percent, with Tebuconazole
25.9 % EC, Propiconazole 25% EC (46.83%),(52.83%) Azoxystrobin 20% +
Difenconazole (35.28%), (41.54%), thiophanate Methyl 70% WP (30.66%), (30.66%),
(35.68%) Thiram (24.49%),(27.76%) and Carbendazim 50% WP (20.58%),(22.14) The
seed treatment with the chemicals showed minimum disease incidence in case of
Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% WG i.e.15.91 per-cent in the year 2022 and
15.12 percent in the year 2023 and the maximum disease incidence was recorded in case
as untreated the control (40.12%),(41.34%) in the year 2023. The present study
concluded that several new chemicals have the potential to manage the disease at lower
concentrations. Chemical compounds have the potential to effectively manage the
disease, even at lower concentrations.