Author(s): AK Jain

Abstract: Brown top millet is a small seeded early maturing and low water demanding cereal crop, usually grown in degraded soils. Banded blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani is an emerging fungal disease that affects the crop at all the stages of growth and limits the sustainable yield under favourable conditions. The causal fungus grew well on potato dextrose agar and oat meal agar. Out of fifteen brown top millet cultivars, none was found highly resistant or resistant to banded blight. ver, three cultivars namely TNBr 012, GPUBT 6 and RBTM 1 were shown moderately resistant reaction. Rest of twelve cultivars was found susceptible. Significant variations in days to 50 per cent flowering (51-58 days), maturity period (83-89 days), plant height (97-111 cm), tillers per plant (7-10) and grain yield (1350-1605 kg/ha) were observed among the browntop millet cultivars. A significant negative correlation of banded blight with days to maturity (-0.557*) and grain yield (-0.553*) was observed. Plant height was found negatively and significantly correlated with the grain yield (-0.531*).

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