Review of the Rice Blast Diseases (Pyricularia Oryzae) Response to Nitrogen and Silicon Fertilizers
Desalegn Yalew Fetene*
Citation : Desalegn Yalew Fetene, Review of the Rice Blast Diseases (Pyricularia Oryzae) Response to Nitrogen and Silicon Fertilizers International Journal of Research Studies in Agricultural Sciences 2019, 5(5) : 37-44.
The rice blast disease, caused by a fungus Pyricularia oryzae (Cavara), is a worldwide problem in rice and is dangerous because of its yield loss potential ranging up to 100% under favourable conditions. Blast development is favoured by thick stands and high nitrogen rates which increase canopy thickness. With this in mind it indicated that some fertilizer application may have a negative or positive response of plants toward the disease. High rate of nitrogen fertilization has been found to increase the severity of the rice blast disease to a great extent as compared to the low nitrogen rate. In contrast, high rate of silicon fertilization reduces the severity of the disease and vice versa. Therefore, nutrition management is one of the most important practices for high production system that may affect response of rice to blast disease.