The Effect of Variety and Fungicide Application on Yellow Rust (<i>Pucciniastriiformis</i>f.sp<i>tritici</i>) Disease of Bread Wheat (<i>Triticumaestivum</i>L.) in East <i>Gojjam</i>, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate effects of bread wheat variety and fungicide application on yellow rust epidemics under natural field conditions at Debre Markos University research site, East Gojjam Zone in the main cropping season of 2021/2022 year. Three different fungicides (Tilt (25EC), Natura (250 EW), and Takeoff (293 SC) including fungicide unsprayed combined with five improved wheat varieties (Honkolo, Wane, Liben, Lemu and Kakaba) were used in the experiment and the experiment was laid out in RCBD design with factorial arrangement and replicated three time. Disease data’s (severity, AUDPC, incidence and grain yield were recorded. The maximum disease incidence (100 %), initial and final disease severity (39.75 at 57 DAP and 66.66% at 78 DAP) and AUDPC (1770.71 %-day) recorded from fungicide unsprayed plot on Honkolo variety. But the lowest disease incidence (1.50 %), initial and final severity (1.89 % at 57 DAP and 2.36 % at 78 DAP) and AUDPC (78.93 % - day) were recorded from the combination of Liben variety with Natura (250% EW) fungicide treatment. Moreover, the maximum grain yield (6.00 t/ha) was obtained from combination of Kakaba variety and Natura (250 EW) fungicide treatment plot. While the minimum yield (3.00 t/ha) was recorded from fungicide unsprayed Honkolo variety. Natura (250 EW) fungicide sprayed varieties were effective to against yellow rust and gave the highest values of yield over unsprayed plots and other fungicides application. However, Combination of Kakaba variety and Natura (250 EW) fungicide application was more feasible than other treatments.