Management of Udbatta disease in Rice

Udbatta disease: Ephelis oryzae Syd.

(Deuteromycotina: Sphaeropsidales: Excipulaceae)

Local name: Udubatti Roga

Vernacular Name : Agarbatti, Mathapukaddi roga, Kari kaddi roga, Chipsu hode roga

This disease is endemic and of minor importance in certain areas in India.

Period of occurrence : Panicle emergence stage

Collateral hosts: Grasses, Isachne, elegans, Cynadon dactylon, Pennisetum sp. and Eragrostis tenuifolia.

Damage symptoms:

• Stunted growth of affected seedlings.
• The panicle emerges from the leaf sheath, as a straight, dirty coloured, hard, cylindrical spike, considerably reduced in size, much resembling an agarbatti or udbatta.
• No grains are formed on the infected ear instead white mycelium and conidia form narrow stripes on the flag leaf along the veins before the panicle emerge

                                           

Management

• Use disease free seeds for sowing.
• Hot water treatment of seeds at 52°C for 10 min.
•  Removal and destruction of diseased panicles in field.