Pathogen: 
                        
                        
                          
                            
                            - The mycelium is hyaline to olivaceous and septate.
 
                            - Conidia are produced in clusters on long septate, olivaceous conidiophores.
 
                            - Conidia are pyriform to ellipsoid, attached at the broader base by a hilum. Conidia are hyaline to pale olive green, usually 3 celled. 
 
                            - The perfect state of the fungus is M. grisea producing perithecia. The ascospores are hyaline, fusiform, 4 celled and slightly curved.
 
                           
                         
                        Survival and Mode of spread: 
                        
                        
                        
                          
                            -  The fungus survives on collateral hosts viz., Panicum repens, Digitaria magrginata, Brachiaria mutica, Leersia hexandra and Echinochloa crusgalli.
 
                            -  Mycelium and conidia in the collateral hosts, straw and seeds are major sources of primary inoculum. 
 
                            -  The secondary spread takes place through airborne conidia since spores of the fungus present throughout the year. Irrigation water may carry the conidia to different fields.
 
                           
                         
                        Favourable Conditions: 
                        
                         
                          
                            -  Intermittent drizzles
 
                            -  Cloudy weather 
 
                            -  High relative humidity (93-99 per cent) 
 
                            - Low night temperature (between 15-20 C or less than 26 C
 
                            -  Availability of collateral hosts 
 
                            - Application of excess nitrogen 
 
                           
                         
                        Management: 
                        
                        
                          
                            - Grow resistant and moderately resistant varieties like CO47, CO 51, CO 52, CO 53, CO55, CO56, ASD 18 and IR64.   
 
                            - Remove and destory the weed hosts in the field bunds and channels. 
 
                            - Treat the seeds with Captan or Thiram or Carbendazim or Tricyclazole at 2 g/kg or Bacillus subtilis @ 10g/kg of seed. 
 
                            - Spray the nursery with Carbendazim 50 WP @ 25 g or Edifenphos 50 EC @ 25 ml for 20 cent nursery.
 
                            - Foliar spray the main field with edifenphos 200 ml or carbendazim 100 g or tricyclazole 75 WP @ 200 g or iprobenphos (IBP) 200 ml /acre or  azoxystrobin + difenoconazole 100 ml/acre   when initial symptoms are noticed.
 
                           
                         
                        Source of information:  
                        
                        
                        
                          
                            - AICRIP Rice, TNAU, Coimbatore Rice diseases- online resource, IRRI, Phillippines.
 
                           
                         
                        Acknowledgements:  
                            
                        
                        
                        
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