INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF STRIPE RUST (Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici) OF BREAD WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) THROUGH HOST RESISTANCE AND FUNGICIDE SPRAY SCHEDULES IN HADIYA ZONE, SNNPR, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In Ethiopia, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a high potential food security and industrial crop due to its high yield potential per hectare and nutritious grain. However, stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici) of wheat is a devastating disease with dramatic and disastrous economic consequences on productivity of the crop. A field experiment was conducted at Wachemo University in 2018 main cropping season. The treatments were composed of three wheat varieties (Dandaa, Shorima and Hidasie) with different level of resistance agsints stripe rust and the fungicides sprayed in three sequences and in two weeks interval on each plots by alternating the three fungicides. The treatments were laid out factorially in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications to: (1) evaluate the integrated effect of wheat varieties and alternate fungicide spray schedules for stripe rust management and its effect on grain yield and yield components of the wheat, and (2) find out an economical fungicide spray schedule(s).Analysis variance revealed that fungicide spray schedules significantly reduced stripe rust epidemics and increased wheat grain yield of all the three varieties tested. In case of disease severity, as low as 35.0, 35.3 and 38.3% and the lowest AUDPC values, 466.0, 517.2 and 577.5%-days were recorded on the varieties Dandaa, Shorima and Hidasie planted plots sprayed with Nativo + Tilt + Albu (NTA) schedule, respectively. . Stripe rust severity, AUDPC and disease progress rate were reduced more in the wheat variety Dandaa than in the other two wheat varieties. The variety Dandaa also gave the highest yield of all the tested varieties. The sequential application of the Nativo + Tilt +Albu (NTA) proved to be the best management schedule on each wheat variety and gave the highest yields of 2.6, 2.2 and 1.8 t ha-1 on the varieties Dandaa, Shorima and Hidasie, respectively. Thus, it is advisable to use this spray sequence as it gave the best protection against stripe rust and the best monetary benefit as compared to the other treatments and the control. However, future research should be undertaken to evaluate alternate spray of fungicides indifferent environments for commendable immediate protection against stripe rust and reduction of the chances of the pathogen races in building resistance to the fungicides active ingredients.