Identification of Resistant and Susceptible Sources against Blast Diseases in Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana L. (Gaertn.)]

The study was undertaken to evaluate the 490 finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) genotypes (released, pre-release and breeding genotypes) including two check varieties viz., Indaf 5 (susceptible) and GPU-28 (resistant) against neck and finger blast disease at Hill Millet Research Station, Waghai, The Dangs, Gujarat during kharif, 2018 to 2022. Among all the 490 genotypes, 148 genotypes have shown resistant reaction under high disease pressure field conditions for neck and finger blast disease. However, 44 germplasm genotypes have shown consistent susceptible reaction during five years tested viz; kharif, 2018 to 2022. The genotypes viz., CFMV 2, GN-8, VL-376, PR-202 and GPU-67, showed the higher immune reaction under natural field condition. The pooled percent disease intensity of neck and finger blast diseases ranged from 2.90 to 72.4 per cent and 3.9 to 84.2 per cent respectively, in all tested genotypes including national and local checks. The resistant check variety GPU-28 exhibited resistant reaction to both neck and finger blast. In susceptible check variety Indaf-5 recorded the pooled diseases intensity of 61.74 % for neck blast and 73.6 % for finger blast. In which 72.4 and 84.2 is the highest percent pooled disease intensity of neck and finger blasts recorded in finger millet entry WN 666 which is the most highly susceptible reaction noted across five years of study in blast susceptible zone of Gujarat.