MANAGEMENT OF GARLIC RUST (Puccinia allii) USING PROPICONAZOLE FUNGICIDE AND ITS ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE ON GARLIC (Allium sativum L.) PRODUCTION IN ENEBSIE SARMIDER DISTRICT, NORTH-WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Garlic is one of the most important medicinal and spice crops in Ethiopia. It is cultivated both under irrigation and during the man cropping season. However, the production and productivity of garlic affected both biotic (living factors) and abiotic (non-living factors) factors. Among biotic factors fungus disease like garlic rust caused by Puccinia allii is the major problem in garlic production in most areas of northwestern Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to evaluate the appropriate rate and frequency of Propiconazole fungicide to manage garlic rust. The field experiment was conducted at Enebsie Sarmider district, Bete Emider kebele during 2022, the main cropping season. The treatments were arranged in factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. The combination of three rates (0.65, 0.75, and 1L ha^-1) and four spray frequency (one, two, three and four times) of fungicide and one control treatment were evaluated. Both disease and yield-related data were collected and analyzed using SAS 9.4 software. The analysis of variance revealed that a combination of rates and spraying frequencies of fungicide significantly reduced the garlic rust disease with correspondingly increased bulb yield and yield related of garlic. The minimum terminal severity (34%), and area under disease progress curve (119.17 % days^-1) were recorded from plot treated with 1L ha^-1 and four times application of fungicide, however the maximum garlic bulb yield increment (264.53%) was obtained from plot received 0.75L ha^-1 and four times application of fungicide. The economic analysis confirmed that the highest net benefit (739,840-birr ha^-1) and accepted marginal rate of return (56,200%) was obtained from plots treated with 0.75L ha^-1 within four times sprayed plot. Generally, in the study area 0.75L ha^-1 with four time’s sprayed frequency of fungicide was effective in controlling garlic disease and gave the highest cost-benefit advantage as compared with other treatments. This study indicated that spraying frequency is the more determining factor to control garlic rust disease than different rate of Propiconazole fungicide.