Effect of organic amendments and cultural practices on root rot of fenugreek incited by Rhizoctonia solani

Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is vernacularly known as ‘Methi’ in India and it belongs to family Fabaceae . It has multipurpose significance in the human life as food and medicine. Root rot of fenugreek caused by Rhizoctonia solani has become a severe menace in Rajasthan state and other parts of India and causes qualitative and quantitative losses. Considering the value of fenugreek, the present study aimed at management the root rot disease using organic amendments and cultural practices. Different dates of sowing, plant spacing and organic amendments viz., groundnut cake, mustard cake, neem cake, poultry manure, wool waste and human hair were evaluated for two consecutive years in the field. Among the date of sowing, the highest disease reduction (40.26%) was recorded in late sown crop (20th Nov.) with 26.91 per cent increased yield in comparison to standard recommended date of sowing (6th Nov.). In case of plant geometry, 36.67 per cent higher seed yield and 26.82 per cent disease reduction were recorded in narrow spacing (20 cm x 10 cm) as compared to recommended wider spacing (30 cm x 10 cm). The highest seed yield (66.13%) was found for neem cake with reduced disease incidence 63.39% among all the treatments. The application of wool waste and human hairs into the field are new for managing plant diseases, as these have proved effective with encouraging response by dual action, one by reducing disease (36.67 and 13.01)and another by increasing yield (40.36 and 20.69%).