Development and evaluation of fungicide-amended urea briquettes (FAUB's) to combat fruit rot disease of arecanut: A farmers-friendly approach

Fruit rot disease (FRD) of arecanut caused by Phytophthora meadii (McRae) is a major limiting factor in arecanut production across the globe. Prophylactic sprayings of Bordeaux mixture (1%) and other oomycete-specific fungicides are recommended to manage this serious malady in arecanut. However, the tall nature of palms is a greater challenge for the application of plant protection measures on fruit bunches. Manual climbing of the palms during the rainy season is yet another risky task for proper spraying of chemicals up to the crown region. In this context, fungicide-loaded urea briquettes (FAUB's) were developed and assessed under field conditions against FRD in arecanut. Results proved that systemic fungicide-based urea briquettes are highly potent in protecting arecanut from FRD infection. Meanwhile, in the modern fungicidal delivery approach, the ambient fungicides such as fosetyl-Al, a combination of fosetyl-Al - propineb briquettes had achieved stronger fungicidal activity against FRD, reducing severity by 70% when applied twice with increased dry nut yield of 100% compared to control plots. Fosetyl-al briquettes found significantly higher in terms of control efficiency (Severity of 8.5 ± 0.22, 80%), yield response (19.04 ± 0.39q/ha), and economic analysis (3,08,400 Rs./ha). Further, the present study demonstrated that the soil application of FAUB's is an alternative to arduous conventional spraying. The experiment proved and demonstrated that, FAUB's could potential replacement for Bordeaux mixture and copper-oxychloride application under field conditions. Hence, we recommend to implement in integrated FRD management program.