Biopriming and Integrated Management of Major Diseases of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Coastal Saline Zone of West Bengal, India

Biopriming and integrated disease management have the potential to reduce the hazards associated with the increasing use of agrochemicals in agriculture. Field trials were therefore conducted during the two consecutive summer seasons of 2020 and 2021 at Agricultural Experimental Farm, Institute of Agricultural Science, University of Calcutta, West Bengal to evaluate the impact of biopriming and integrated disease management (IDM) practices on disease incidence in sesame as well as its productivity. The treatments consisted of three modules, viz., Bio-intensive (M1): Seed treatment with Trichoderma asperellum @ 10 g kg-1 + furrow application of enriched Trichoderma (2.5 kg Trichoderma asperellum + 100 kg vermicompost) @ 250 kg ha-1 + spray of Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g L-1 at 30-35 DAS and wettable sulphur @ 2 g L-1 at 50-60 DAS; Chemical (M2): Seed treatment with carbendazim @ 2 g L-1 + spray of combi-product (Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25%) @ 0.5 g L-1 at 30-35 DAS and second spray @ 2 g L-1 at 50-60 DAS; Adaptive (M3): Seed treatment with Trichoderma asperellum @ 10 g kg-1 + furrow application of enriched Trichoderma (2.5 kg Trichoderma asperellum + 100 kg vermicompost) @ 250 kg ha-1 + spray of combi-product (Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxysrobin 25%) @ 0.5 g L-1 at 30-35 DAS and second spray at 50-60 DAS, and Control (M4): Untreated check. The results revealed that the adaptive module, M3, was highly effective and recorded significantly the lowest disease incidence of root rot (18.9%), severity of Alternaria (11.0%) and Cercospora leaf spots (7.0%) with highest seed yield of 0.59 t ha-1 and highest benefit:cost ratio of 2.13:1. This module can be used for the effective management of root rot and leaf spot diseases of sesame and ensuring sustained yields, particularly in the coastal agro-climatic conditions of West Bengal.