EVALUATION OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) VARIETIES/LINES AGAINST LOOSE SMUT (USTILAGO TRITICI) AND ITS MANAGEMENT BY SEED DRESSING FUNGICIDES

摘要

Present study was conducted at Plant Pathology Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, Pakistan during 2012-14 to evaluate 92 wheat varieties/lines against loose smut caused by Ustilago tritici through artificial inoculation. Following augmented design RCBD each cultivar/line was planted in a single row of 3 meter length, with plant to plant and row to row distances of 5-10 and 15 cm, respectively. Germplasm was divided into six sets including four sets of 15 varieties/lines and two sets of 16 varieties excluding check varieties (WL-711, Morocco and Pak-81) which were sown in each set. Twenty spikes of each variety/line were inoculated with the spore suspension of loose smut using syringe method. V-ENO-310 exhibited high resistance showing 4.5 percent smut infected spikes, followed by Pasban-90 and 09b9110 with 9.3 and 7.8 percent smut infected spikes, respectively. Fifty varieties/lines were found moderately resistant having 10.8 to 20 percent smut infected spikes. On the other hand 26 varieties were found moderately susceptible having 20.23 to 30 percent smut infected heads, eight varieties/lines were found susceptible showing 30.7 to 48.1 percent smut infected heads and three check varieties (Morocco, WL-711 and Pak-81) were found highly susceptible showing more than 50 percent smut infected spikes. All the six fungicides (Dividend Star, Raxil Ultra, Score, Crest,Topsin-M and Hombre) were found equally effective as seed treatment for disease control.