Synergistic effect of biocontrol agents and chitosan on control of foot rot disease in finger millet

Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) is a widely grown millet crop in Southern Karnataka, it is attacked by various fungal, bacterial and virus pathogens, among them foot rot disease caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is a leading constraint for the farmers under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. For the management of this problem an eco-friendly approach was taken up in laboratory condition using chitosan and biocontrol agents, as they are known to have spin-off benefit of active innate defence mechanisms and promoting higher yields. In the research, chitosan of nine different concentrations were selected among them 0.15%, 0.20% and 0.25% showed the maximum inhibition of the pathogen. Along with chitosan, bio-agents viz., Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens were evaluated against Sclerotium rolfsii for their synergistic effect by well diffusion technique and it exhibited a positive effect on the inhibition of the pathogen showing the effectiveness in reducing the disease and chitosan not showing deleterious effect on bio-agents.