In-vitro Evaluation of Botanicals and Fungicides against Cercospora capsici Causing Leaf Spot of Chilli

One of the most significant spice crops worldwide is the chilli. It is also the most significant spice crop in India and belongs to the Solanaceae family, which has nutritional benefits and is particularly rich in vitamin C. The low yield of the country's chilli crop is caused by a variety of reasons, but fungi-induced diseases constitute a major contributor. One of the main issues with chilli cultivation in India is the fungal disease Cercospora leaf spot. In the present investigation, five botanicals viz., Azadirachta indica leaf, Alium cepa bulb, Citrus lemon leaf, Datura fastussa leaf and Mamordica charantia leaf and five fungicides viz., Mancozeb 75% WP, Carbendazim 50% WP, Difenoconazole 25% EC, Fluciazole - 40%EC and Azoxystrobin 23% SC were evaluated against the growth of Cercospora capsici. Azadirachta indica leaf and Datura fastussa leaf were found effective among all the botanicals and Difenoconazole 25% EC was found most effective among all the fungicides.