Sheath Blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani is capable of reducing paddy yields by 20% to 50% under cloudy, warm, and humid monsoon conditions. The pathogen spreads rapidly via sclerotia floating on irrigation water.
Early visual diagnostics are vital. Sclerotia germinate on the lower leaf sheath, producing irregular greyish-green lesions that gradually expand upwards to choke off the flag leaf and developing panicles.
Deploying AMISTAGATE (Azoxystrobin 23% SC) or ANTRACROP (Propineb 70% WP) at the first indication of lesion formation halts fungal mitochondrial respiration, ensuring green leaf retention throughout grain maturation.
