Evaluation of Fungicides for the Management of Tef Leaf Rust (Uromyces eragrostidis) in Tef at East and North Shoa, Ethiopia

Tef leaf rust disease caused by Uromyces eragrostis is the widely distributed tef disease. Currently, an evaluation of different fungicides for the control of tef leaf rust is very crucial to tackle and minimize yield loss caused by this pathogen. Therefore, the activity aimed to identify effective fungicide(s) for the control of tef leaf rust disease in the country. The experiment was conducted at Minjar substation and Debre Zeit on station from 2019 to 2020 main cropping seasons to test Rex Duo, Tilt, Nativo and Natura 250 EW fungicides against the disease. Due to heterogeneity of disease parameters data combined analysis was not done for the two locations. The application of different fungicides created significantly different levels of terminal tef leaf rust severity on tef variety Quncho. Quncho is susceptible to tef leaf rust and enabled the assessment of the effects of tef leaf rust disease on tef grain yield, shoot biomass and lodging index during the cropping seasons. The analysis of variance revealed that there was no significant difference among Rex Duo and Tilt fungicides at Minjar site for tef yield but the highest grain yield was obtained through the application of Rex Duo (3.9tha-1). At this location application of Rex Duo (18.8tha- 1) was significantly different from Tilt application for shoot biomass and lodging index 74.3%. At Debre Zeit; the maximum tef yield of 2.4tha-1 and shoot biomass of 14.5tha-1 were obtained from treated plots through the application of Rex Duo. Tilt 250EC application showed the mean value of 2.2tha-1 and 12.9tha-1 grain yields and shoot biomass of Quncho tef varieties, respectively. Generally, disease parameters resulted the lowest mean value under the plots treated by Rex Duo at Minjar and Debre Zeit locations. It is marked that, the fungicide Rex Duo control the leaf rust disease of tef effectively as compared to other fungicides used in this evaluation. It is therefore recommended that the application of fungicide Rex Duo is the best control option in controlling leaf rust disease of tef.