Pantnagar Journal of Research

Abstract

Natural farming employs natural resources to grow crops and manage disease and pests for high-quality harvests. This study evaluates the efficacy of natural products viz. , Panchgavya, butter milk, cow dung, cow urine, ghee, mushroom extracts, spent mushroom substrate (SMS), and oils in vitro and in vivo against lentil wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lentis by recording the percentage mycelium inhibition, impact on disease incidence and crop yield. The most effective products were further studied for elicitation of systemic acquired resistance in subjected plants. The poisoned food technique revealed highest mycelium inhibition of the pathogen i.e., 90 percent with Badri cow urine and Panchgavya at the 20 percent concentration. Both products also performed with similar efficacy over lentil wilt disease under field conditions. The seed treatment with Panchgavya reduced disease incidence to 1.82 percent in field, followed by Badri cow urine (2.44%). Moreover, the treatments with Panchgavya and Badri cow urine exhibited highest yield of 16.22 q/ha and 13.79 q/ha, respectively, demonstrating positive impact on plant growth factors. Furthermore, defense related enzymes viz. , PAL, TP and Catalase were also found to be enhanced 48 hours post challenge inoculation in Badri cow urine and Panchgavya treated plants. Overall, the study presents promising sustainable options for lentil wilt management under natural farming systems, where no chemical options are available.