Effect of botanical extract on controlling damping off disease of cauliflower

Effect of botanical extract on controlling damping off disease of cauliflower | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Effect of botanical extract on controlling damping off disease of cauliflower Pankaj Kumar Yadav1, Prabina Bhujel, Pratishtha Adhikari, Sarad Pokhrel, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3490959/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract An experiment was conducted with five treatments in pot culture at Chitwan, in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with six replications to study the efficacy of botanicals in controlling damping off disease of cauliflower. Analysis of variance for each variable showed significant differences among treatments. The aqueous extracts of Neem leaf, Garlic clove and Bauhinia leaf were prepared for application. The positive control, Captan showed the highest efficiency in controlling pre - and post-emergence damping off and it was followed by Neem and Garlic, whereas both Neem and Garlic were statistically at par. Captan showed the highest germination percentage of seedlings 95.6% and least by Control (49.83%). The highest incidence of damping off was recorded in Control (80.49%). Neem and Garlic showed satisfactory results in controlling damping off disease and Bauhinia was insignificant with negative control. This suggested that, Neem and Garlic can be used to manage this nursery problem and more research is needed to be done in this regard. Pathology Antifungal properties Botanical extract Cauliflower Damping off Efficacy Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 1. Introduction Cauliflower ( Brassica oleracea, var botrytis L.) belonging to mustard family (Brassicaceae) is cultivated for its edible parts of partially developed flower structure and plump stalks. In Nepal, the total cultivated land of cauliflower is 35,764 ha with a yield of 16.07 metric tons/ha (MoALD 2019 ). Damping-off is considered as one of the oldest nursery issues in the world, that infect young seedlings of many vegetables, including members of the genus Brassica. It is caused by the fungi like Pythium spp, Fusarium spp, Phytophthora spp and Rhizoctonia spp. These soil borne micro-organisms can persist indefinitely in the soil or plant debris. Poor germination occurs if seedlings are affected before emergence. It is considered as the most serious problem in raising the nursery seedlings with high economic losses. If high temperature and high moisture prevail at juvenile stage, 80–90% seedlings maybe killed within 48h (Mukhopadhyay, 1992). On one hand seedlings are killed that reduce the total production and on other hand it cost for the filling and other operations (Hassan et al , 2017). Damping off symptoms can be observed from seedling until the fourth to sixth week post- sowing (Horst 2013 ). Pre-emergence symptoms occur when seeds decay prior to emergence. This can occur (i) before seed germination or when (ii) the germinating seeds are killed by biotic stresses while shoot tissues are still below ground (Horst 2013 ). In the first case, seeds become soft, rotten and fail to germinate. In the second case, stems of germinating seeds are affected with characteristic water-soaked lesions formed at or below the soil line (Cram 2003 ). With the progression lesions may darken to reddish- brown, or black. Seedlings may wilt and die soon before emergence. In general, random pockets of poor seedling emergence are an indication of pre-emergence damping off. Post emergence symptoms occur when seeds decay, wilt and die after emergence (Horst 2013 ). In most cases, all symptoms result in the collapse and death of at least some seedlings in any given seedling population. In case of soil pathogen, there could be the death of seedlings in groups in roughly circular patches and the seedlings may have stem lesions at the ground level. Seedlings stem becomes thin and tough commonly known as wire-stem., which often leads to reduced seedling vigour. These symptoms can be accompanied by leaf spotting and a complete root rot may occur (Lamichhane, 2017). Management of disease For the management of this disease many researchers suggest an integrated management system. An effective management of damping off requires the deployment of some strategies, which can be classified into the following four major groups: (i) seed treatment to enhance germination and seedling vigor, (ii) cropping resistant or tolerant cultivars to damping –off diseases, (iii) adoption of best cropping practices, and (iv) timely application of treatment to seedlings with effective products (conventional pesticides as well as biopesticides or biocontrol agents). None of these strategies is effective in managing damping off when applied individually (Lamichhane, 2017). In light of the high economic impact of damping-off and negative environmental effects generated by conventional fungicide-based control strategies, there is a need to develop alternative and sustainable solutions to manage damping-off. Integrated pest management (IPM). The present investigation relates to the study of the damping off controlling ability of different botanicals. In our research we selected three botanicals viz; Neem, Garlic & Bauhinia. These are easily found in our locality are cheaper and more effective than other botanicals. The alkaloids and flavonoids of botanicals are the active compounds that hinder the mycelial growth of fungus. Neem leaf extracts showed the best effect on reducing damping-off and increasing germination as well as growth characteristics of vegetable seedling (Islam and Faruq 2012 ). Alkaloid from Neem Azadirachtins (Quercetin, ß- sitosterol, Azadirione, nimbin) are active compounds that have high antifungal activities (Govindachari et al. 1998 ). Both Allium sativum and Azadirachta indica shows high percentage of inhibition of spore germination of many fungal pathogens (Muhsin et al 2001 ; Srinivasan et al 2001 ). The water leaf extracts contains alkaloids, tannins. Among the stem, leaf & root extracts (ethanol, methanol & water extracts) ethanol stem extract showed highest inhibitory action against all fungal strains and that of water leaf extract showed minimum (Mishra & Verma 2014 ). The main objective our study was to find the effectiveness of botanicals in control of damping off of cauliflower in nursery, the effectiveness of botanicals on the pre emergence damping off, to explore the effect of botanicals on the AUDPC of damping off, to find the effect of botanicals on the seedling vigor & disease index and finally to compare the effectiveness of botanicals against chemical fungicide. 2. Materials & methods The experiment was carried out in the farm of Agriculture and Forestry University Rampur Chitwan district Nepal. The site is situated in central Nepal of sub tropical climate and 10 kilometer west from Bharatpur, headquarter of Chitwan district. Geographically, it is located at 27 0 37 ’ N latitude and 84 0 25’ longitude with an elevation of 256 meter above mean sea level. Analysis of soil available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium were done. The detail physio- chemical properties of the experimental soils are presented in Table 1 . Table 1 Physio-chemical characteristics of soil from research site S.N. Soil Properties Values 1. Textural Class sandy loam 2. Chemical properties a. pH 5.4 (Acidic) b. Nitrogen (%) 0.15(Medium) c. Phosphorus, P 2 O 5 (kg/ha) 14.20 (low) d. Potash, K 2 O (kg/ha) 161.95 (medium) e. Organic Matter (%) 2.95 (medium) The pH of soil was 5.4. The available phosphorous was found to be low. In contrast, the available potassium and total nitrogen was found to be of medium and soil organic matter was medium in status. Soil was sandy loam and the pH of the experimental site was slightly acidic. The previous crops were cauliflower, cabbage and cucutbits. Past history shows that the lower land of the field was infested with the damping off, alternaria leaf spot and root rot disease of crucifers. The cauliflower seeds used in the experiments were received from the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). Our selected variety was Khumal Jyapu. It is the developed variety of Kathmandu local through selection. Experimental details The experiment was carried out in completely randomized design (CRD) with 6 replication and 5 treatments (Control (sterile distilled water), Neem leaf extract ( Azadirachta indica ) @10%, Garlic clove extract ( Allium sativum ) @10%, Bauhinia leaf extract ( Bauhinia variegata ) and Captan (Contact Broad spectrum chemical fungicide) @ 2g/L. Pots were placed at the distance of 30 cm from each other. Plant geometry was 1cm from row to row and plant to plant. Treatment details Table 2 Treatment details Treatments Treatment details T1 Control (sterile distilled water) T2 Neem leaf extract ( Azadirachta indica ) T3 Garlic clove extract ( Allium sativum ) T4 Bauhinia leaf extract ( Bauhinia variegata ) T5 Captan (Contact Broad spectrum chemical fungicide) Seeds of Cauliflower were treated with the treatments before 24 hours of sowing and control was treated with clean water. Days of emergence Days to emergence were recorded when the maximum no of seedling emerged. It was done at the 10th and 11th DAS Number of emergence It was the total number of seedlings emerged in every pot. In every pot 144 seeds were sown at spacing of 1cm*1cm. It was first taken at 10 days after sowing and 2nd was done on the 11th day of sowing and then data were recorded at every 5 days interval. Disease severity It was the record about how severely the seedlings are infested. This was done through the scoring scale. Scale was different for both diseases. First data on severity was taken at the 11th day of sowing. The corresponding data were taken at every 5 days interval. Number of dead seedlings per pot Number of dead seedlings were recorded in each plot throughout the research period from the day of incidence of damping off. First data was taken at the 11th day of sowing and then the corresponding data were taken at every 5 days interval. Seedling vigour Seedling vigour was recorded by taking the data of fresh and dry weight of the seedling. This was destructive method. At the end time of the research on pot all the seedlings were cut down at the ground level and were kept separately. Fresh weight was taken and that of dry weight was taken after three days of fresh weight. Disease assessment The observations on damping off disease appearance were recorded from each single seedling. Disease scoring was done beginning from the 11th day of sowing by using the disease rating scale. Table 3 Disease rating scale for damping off disease (Akköpru & Demir., 2005) Scale Infection 0 Not any symptoms 1 minute water-soaked spots at soil line 2 constriction at soil line 3 constriction with bending of seedling 4 topple down of seedling with wilting of upper parts 5 dead seedling Statistical Analysis Data entry and processing were carried out with MS-excel 2010 software. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan test for every trait were calculated using R-studio version 4.0. Analysis of variance The analysis of variation for different parameters was performed on mean data separately. 3. Result and discussion Results from the present study were derived from experiments conducted at Chitwan 2022. Different botanicals were tested for the efficacy treatment of damping off disease of cauliflower. The results obtained are presented below: Table 4 Effects of botanicals and chemical on No. of emergence, Days of emergence, No. of dead seedlings, Dry weight of Cauliflower. Treatments No.of emergence Daysof emergence No.ofdead seedling Dry weight Control 66 c 10.67 39.5 a 10.57 Neem 90.17 b 10.5 28.5 b 9.98 Garlic 91.6 b 10.6 34.4 ab 9.77 Bauhinia 77 c 10.8 37.2 a 9.96 Captan 126.8 a 10.4 13.2 c 9.94 LSD 12.78 0.67 9.22 1.65 Sig *** NS *** NS CV% 11.25 4.94 21.81 12.45 Means in column followed by similar letter/s are not significantly different * = significant at 0.05 level of significance, ** = significant at 0.01 level of significance , ***= significant at 0.001 level of significance, NS = Non significant Neem & Garlic were statistically superior over control in number of seedling emergence. In total of 144 seeds sown, Garlic had the highest mean value (91.6) among botanicals followed by Neem (90.17). This higher germination may be due to their alkaloids and flavonoids that inhibit the fungal growth and enhance the germination as well as growth characters (Islam & Faruq 2012 ). There was no significant difference among treatments in days of emergence. The mean average value of all treatments was in between 10 and 11 and the LSD value was only 0.67. This may be due to the same genetic value of seed. The number of dead seedlings per pot was the record of total dead seedling from the beginning to the end of the research in each pot. There was highest record of 39.5 mean average dead seedlings in control. Control (39.5) and Bauhinia (37.2) were statistically at par followed by Garlic (34.4) and Neem (28.5). Neem and Captan had shown satisfactory results in terms of reducing the disease infestation. This may be due to the inhibitory action of alkaloids in Neem. Alkaloid from Neem Azadirachtins (Quercetin, ß- sitosterol, Azadirione, nimbin) are the active compounds that has high antifungal activities (Govindachari et al. 1998 ). They inhibit the spore germination of many fungal pathogens (Muhsin et al, 2001 ; Srinivasan et al, 2001 ). The data for other variables are presented in graphs below. Among eight variables four are presented in graph. Incidence percentage and Germination percentage are given on one graph and AUDPC and Disease Intensity on another. The incidence percentage of seedlings in control was the highest and was statistically superior over all other treatments. Neem and Bauhinia were statistically at par and Captan had the least Incidence %. This signified that Captan was most effective in controlling this disease among all. The germination percentage of seedlings in Neem and Garlic were higher than the Control and Garlic at par with Bauhinia. This was due to their inhibitory action with pathogens causing damping off. The alkaloids and flavonoids present in them inhibit the spore germination of fungal pathogens causing damping off (Muhsin et al 2001 ; Srinivasan et al 2001 ). Captan a broad-spectrum fungicide had both protective and curative properties and thus works by inhibiting respiration of fungus. The mycoflora of the rhizosphere was considerably inhibited by Captan (Ul Haq et al., 2020 ). As shown in above figure, Control was superior over all treatments in both AUDPC and Disease Intensity. Neem and Garlic were statistically at par and Captan with the least value and significantly different from all other treatments. We observed occurrence of alternaria leaf spot in our experiment that was severe in control than other treatments and results show decreasing trend of its infection on seedlings with time. Later on, no or little incidence was recorded at the end of the experiment Conclusion Neem and Garlic were found to be most efficient in controlling pre emergence damping off having 66% and 69% of germination percentage. Neem with AUDPC value 18.75, was found better in resisting the disease increment over time, followed by Garlic and Bauhinia. Results on the disease index showed that the Garlic (20.79) was more effective than other treatments. It was followed by Neem (22.85) and Bauhinia (25.91). There was no significant difference between botanicals on the seedling vigor. Chemical fungicide was found to be more effective than botanicals in controlling the damping off disease. An overall result showed that botanicals were effective in controlling damping off disease of cauliflower in nursery. Neem gave the best results followed by Garlic. Declarations Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. References Akköprü, A., & Demir, S. (2005). Biological control of Fusarium wilt in tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici by AMF Glomus intraradices and some rhizobacteria. Journal of Phytopathology, 153(9), 544-550. Cram MM (2003). Damping-Off. Tree Plant Notes 50:1–5 Govindachari, T. R., Suresh, G., Gopalakrishnan, G., Banumathy, B., & Masilamani, S. (1998). Identification of antifungal compounds from the seed oil ofAzadirachta Indica. Phytoparasitica, 26(2), 109-116. Hassan, O., & Chang, T. (2017). Chitosan for eco-friendly control of plant disease. Asian J. Plant Pathol, 11(2), 53-70. Horst RK (2013). Damping-off. Westcott’s plant disease handbook. Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, p 177 Islam M. T. and A. N. Faruq, (2012). Effect of some Medicinal plant extracts on damping off disease of winter vegetable; World Appli. Sci. J., 17(11):1498-1503 Lamichhane J.R., Carolyne Durr, André A. Schwanck, Marie-Hélène Robin, and Jean-Pierre Sarthou, (2017).. Integrated management of damping-off diseases. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences/INRA, 2017, 37 (2) Mishra NP and Verma A. (2014). Evaluation of Antimicrobial, Antifungal and Phytochemical Properties of Bauhinia variegata. Current Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2014; 4 (2): 57-63. MoALD, (2019). Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture. Singhadurbar, Kathmandu: Agri-Business Promotion and Statistics Division. Agri Statistics Section, Government of Nepal.83-93. Muhsin, T. M., Al-Zubaidy, S. R., & Ali, E. T. (2001). Effect of garlic bulb extract on the growth and enzymatic activities of rhizosphere and rhizoplane fungi. Mycopathologia, 152(3), 143-146. Mukhopadhyay, A. N., Shrestha, S. M., & Mukherjee, P. K. (1992). Biological seed treatment for control of soil-borne plant pathogens. Bulletin Phytosanitaire de la FAO (FAO); Boletin Fitosanitario de la FAO (FAO). Srinivasan, D., Nathan, S., Suresh, T., & Perumalsamy, P. L. (2001). Antimicrobial activity of certain Indian medicinal plants used in folkloric medicine. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 74(3), 217-220. Ul Haq, I., Sarwar, M. K., Faraz, A., & Latif, M. Z. (2020). Synthetic chemicals: Major component of plant disease management. In Plant disease management strategies for sustainable agriculture through traditional and modern approaches (pp. 53-81). Springer, Cham. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3490959","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":242826527,"identity":"821bdaef-8f87-4197-ac99-ad0f828ff7ab","order_by":0,"name":"Pankaj Kumar 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treatments\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3490959/v1/18eddee997a0141670971293.png"},{"id":45471506,"identity":"9a584a7c-e674-4e8a-b1f4-3f41867164a8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-10-30 18:31:53","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":541971,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3490959/v1/52d7bb26-768f-4f0d-906b-16b8948c9001.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEffect of botanical extract on controlling damping off disease of cauliflower\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eCauliflower (\u003cem\u003eBrassica oleracea, var botrytis L.)\u003c/em\u003e belonging to mustard family \u003cem\u003e(Brassicaceae)\u003c/em\u003e is cultivated for its edible parts of partially developed flower structure and plump stalks. In Nepal, the total cultivated land of cauliflower is 35,764 ha with a yield of 16.07 metric tons/ha (MoALD \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Damping-off is considered as one of the oldest nursery issues in the world, that infect young seedlings of many vegetables, including members of the genus \u003cem\u003eBrassica.\u003c/em\u003e It is caused by the fungi like \u003cem\u003ePythium\u003c/em\u003e spp, \u003cem\u003eFusarium\u003c/em\u003e spp, \u003cem\u003ePhytophthora\u003c/em\u003e spp and \u003cem\u003eRhizoctonia\u003c/em\u003e spp. These soil borne micro-organisms can persist indefinitely in the soil or plant debris. Poor germination occurs if seedlings are affected before emergence. It is considered as the most serious problem in raising the nursery seedlings with high economic losses. If high temperature and high moisture prevail at juvenile stage, 80\u0026ndash;90% seedlings maybe killed within 48h (Mukhopadhyay, 1992). On one hand seedlings are killed that reduce the total production and on other hand it cost for the filling and other operations (Hassan \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e, 2017).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDamping off symptoms can be observed from seedling until the fourth to sixth week post- sowing (Horst \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Pre-emergence symptoms occur when seeds decay prior to emergence. This can occur (i) before seed germination or when (ii) the germinating seeds are killed by biotic stresses while shoot tissues are still below ground (Horst \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). In the first case, seeds become soft, rotten and fail to germinate. In the second case, stems of germinating seeds are affected with characteristic water-soaked lesions formed at or below the soil line (Cram \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). With the progression lesions may darken to reddish- brown, or black. Seedlings may wilt and die soon before emergence. In general, random pockets of poor seedling emergence are an indication of pre-emergence damping off. Post emergence symptoms occur when seeds decay, wilt and die after emergence (Horst \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). In most cases, all symptoms result in the collapse and death of at least some seedlings in any given seedling population. In case of soil pathogen, there could be the death of seedlings in groups in roughly circular patches and the seedlings may have stem lesions at the ground level. Seedlings stem becomes thin and tough commonly known as wire-stem., which often leads to reduced seedling vigour. These symptoms can be accompanied by leaf spotting and a complete root rot may occur (Lamichhane, 2017). Management of disease For the management of this disease many researchers suggest an integrated management system. An effective management of damping off requires the deployment of some strategies, which can be classified into the following four major groups: (i) seed treatment to enhance germination and seedling vigor, (ii) cropping resistant or tolerant cultivars to damping \u0026ndash;off diseases, (iii) adoption of best cropping practices, and (iv) timely application of treatment to seedlings with effective products (conventional pesticides as well as biopesticides or biocontrol agents). None of these strategies is effective in managing damping off when applied individually (Lamichhane, 2017). In light of the high economic impact of damping-off and negative environmental effects generated by conventional fungicide-based control strategies, there is a need to develop alternative and sustainable solutions to manage damping-off. Integrated pest management (IPM).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present investigation relates to the study of the damping off controlling ability of different botanicals. In our research we selected three botanicals viz; Neem, Garlic \u0026amp; Bauhinia. These are easily found in our locality are cheaper and more effective than other botanicals. The alkaloids and flavonoids of botanicals are the active compounds that hinder the mycelial growth of fungus. Neem leaf extracts showed the best effect on reducing damping-off and increasing germination as well as growth characteristics of vegetable seedling (Islam and Faruq \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Alkaloid from Neem Azadirachtins (Quercetin, \u0026szlig;- sitosterol, Azadirione, nimbin) are active compounds that have high antifungal activities (Govindachari et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e). Both \u003cem\u003eAllium sativum\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAzadirachta indica\u003c/em\u003e shows high percentage of inhibition of spore germination of many fungal pathogens (Muhsin et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Srinivasan et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The water leaf extracts contains alkaloids, tannins. Among the stem, leaf \u0026amp; root extracts (ethanol, methanol \u0026amp; water extracts) ethanol stem extract showed highest inhibitory action against all fungal strains and that of water leaf extract showed minimum (Mishra \u0026amp; Verma \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). The main objective our study was to find the effectiveness of botanicals in control of damping off of cauliflower in nursery, the effectiveness of botanicals on the pre emergence damping off, to explore the effect of botanicals on the AUDPC of damping off, to find the effect of botanicals on the seedling vigor \u0026amp; disease index and finally to compare the effectiveness of botanicals against chemical fungicide.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials \u0026 methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe experiment was carried out in the farm of Agriculture and Forestry University Rampur Chitwan district Nepal. The site is situated in central Nepal of sub tropical climate and 10 kilometer west from Bharatpur, headquarter of Chitwan district. Geographically, it is located at 27\u003csup\u003e0\u003c/sup\u003e 37\u003csup\u003e\u0026rsquo;\u003c/sup\u003e N latitude and 84\u003csup\u003e0\u003c/sup\u003e 25\u0026rsquo; longitude with an elevation of 256 meter above mean sea level.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnalysis of soil available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium were done. The detail physio- chemical properties of the experimental soils are presented in Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePhysio-chemical characteristics of soil from research site\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS.N.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil Properties\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eValues\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTextural Class\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003esandy loam\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChemical properties\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ea.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.4 (Acidic)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eb.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNitrogen (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15(Medium)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ec.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePhosphorus, P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e (kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.20 (low)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ed.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePotash, K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO (kg/ha)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e161.95 (medium)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ee.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOrganic Matter (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.95 (medium)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pH of soil was 5.4. The available phosphorous was found to be low. In contrast, the available potassium and total nitrogen was found to be of medium and soil organic matter was medium in status. Soil was sandy loam and the pH of the experimental site was slightly acidic. The previous crops were cauliflower, cabbage and cucutbits. Past history shows that the lower land of the field was infested with the damping off, alternaria leaf spot and root rot disease of crucifers. The cauliflower seeds used in the experiments were received from the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). Our selected variety was Khumal Jyapu. It is the developed variety of Kathmandu local through selection.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExperimental details\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe experiment was carried out in completely randomized design (CRD) with 6 replication and 5 treatments (Control (sterile distilled water), Neem leaf extract (\u003cem\u003eAzadirachta indica\u003c/em\u003e) @10%, Garlic clove extract (\u003cem\u003eAllium sativum\u003c/em\u003e) @10%, Bauhinia leaf extract (\u003cem\u003eBauhinia variegata\u003c/em\u003e) and Captan (Contact Broad spectrum chemical fungicide) @ 2g/L. Pots were placed at the distance of 30 cm from each other. Plant geometry was 1cm from row to row and plant to plant.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTreatment details\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatment details\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatment details\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl (sterile distilled water)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNeem leaf extract (\u003cem\u003eAzadirachta indica\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGarlic clove extract (\u003cem\u003eAllium sativum\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBauhinia leaf extract (\u003cem\u003eBauhinia variegata\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCaptan (Contact Broad spectrum chemical fungicide)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeeds of Cauliflower were treated with the treatments before 24 hours of sowing and control was treated with clean water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays of emergence\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDays to emergence were recorded when the maximum no of seedling emerged. It was done at the 10th and 11th DAS\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of emergence\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was the total number of seedlings emerged in every pot. In every pot 144 seeds were sown at spacing of 1cm*1cm. It was first taken at 10 days after sowing and 2nd was done on the 11th day of sowing and then data were recorded at every 5 days interval.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisease severity\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was the record about how severely the seedlings are infested. This was done through the scoring scale. Scale was different for both diseases. First data on severity was taken at the 11th day of sowing. The corresponding data were taken at every 5 days interval.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of dead seedlings per pot\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumber of dead seedlings were recorded in each plot throughout the research period from the day of incidence of damping off. First data was taken at the 11th day of sowing and then the corresponding data were taken at every 5 days interval.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeedling vigour\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeedling vigour was recorded by taking the data of fresh and dry weight of the seedling. This was destructive method. At the end time of the research on pot all the seedlings were cut down at the ground level and were kept separately. Fresh weight was taken and that of dry weight was taken after three days of fresh weight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisease assessment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe observations on damping off disease appearance were recorded from each single seedling. Disease scoring was done beginning from the 11th day of sowing by using the disease rating scale.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDisease rating scale for damping off disease (Akk\u0026ouml;pru \u0026amp; Demir., 2005)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eScale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInfection\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNot any symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eminute water-soaked spots at soil line\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003econstriction at soil line\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003econstriction with bending of seedling\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003etopple down of seedling with wilting of upper parts\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003edead seedling\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStatistical Analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData entry and processing were carried out with MS-excel 2010 software. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan test for every trait were calculated using R-studio version 4.0.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnalysis of variance\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of variation for different parameters was performed on mean data separately.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. Result and discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eResults from the present study were derived from experiments conducted at Chitwan 2022. Different botanicals were tested for the efficacy treatment of damping off disease of cauliflower. The results obtained are presented below:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003ctable id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEffects of botanicals and chemical on No. of emergence, Days of emergence, No. of dead seedlings, Dry weight of Cauliflower.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo.of\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eemergence\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDaysof\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eemergence\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo.ofdead\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eseedling\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDry weight\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eControl\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e66\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.5\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNeem\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90.17\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.5\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.98\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGarlic\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e91.6\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34.4\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.77\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBauhinia\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e77\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37.2\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.96\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCaptan\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e126.8\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.2\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.94\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLSD\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.78\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSig\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCV%\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.94\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.81\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMeans in column followed by similar letter/s are not significantly different\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e* = significant at 0.05 level of significance, ** = significant at 0.01 level of significance\u003c/em\u003e,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e***= significant at 0.001 level of significance, NS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Non significant\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeem \u0026amp; Garlic were statistically superior over control in number of seedling emergence. In total of 144 seeds sown, Garlic had the highest mean value (91.6) among botanicals followed by Neem (90.17). This higher germination may be due to their alkaloids and flavonoids that inhibit the fungal growth and enhance the germination as well as growth characters (Islam \u0026amp; Faruq \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was no significant difference among treatments in days of emergence. The mean average value of all treatments was in between 10 and 11 and the LSD value was only 0.67. This may be due to the same genetic value of seed. The number of dead seedlings per pot was the record of total dead seedling from the beginning to the end of the research in each pot. There was highest record of 39.5 mean average dead seedlings in control. Control (39.5) and Bauhinia (37.2) were statistically at par followed by Garlic (34.4) and Neem (28.5). Neem and Captan had shown satisfactory results in terms of reducing the disease infestation. This may be due to the inhibitory action of alkaloids in Neem. Alkaloid from Neem Azadirachtins (Quercetin, \u0026szlig;- sitosterol, Azadirione, nimbin) are the active compounds that has high antifungal activities (Govindachari et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e). They inhibit the spore germination of many fungal pathogens (Muhsin et al, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Srinivasan et al, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The data for other variables are presented in graphs below. Among eight variables four are presented in graph. Incidence percentage and Germination percentage are given on one graph and AUDPC and Disease Intensity on another.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe incidence percentage of seedlings in control was the highest and was statistically superior over all other treatments. Neem and Bauhinia were statistically at par and Captan had the least Incidence %. This signified that Captan was most effective in controlling this disease among all. The germination percentage of seedlings in Neem and Garlic were higher than the Control and Garlic at par with Bauhinia. This was due to their inhibitory action with pathogens causing damping off. The alkaloids and flavonoids present in them inhibit the spore germination of fungal pathogens causing damping off (Muhsin et al \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Srinivasan et al \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). Captan a broad-spectrum fungicide had both protective and curative properties and thus works by inhibiting respiration of fungus. The mycoflora of the rhizosphere was considerably inhibited by Captan (Ul Haq et al., \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAs shown in above figure, Control was superior over all treatments in both AUDPC and Disease Intensity. Neem and Garlic were statistically at par and Captan with the least value and significantly different from all other treatments. We observed occurrence of alternaria leaf spot in our experiment that was severe in control than other treatments and results show decreasing trend of its infection on seedlings with time. Later on, no or little incidence was recorded at the end of the experiment\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eNeem and Garlic were found to be most efficient in controlling pre emergence damping off having 66% and 69% of germination percentage. Neem with AUDPC value 18.75, was found better in resisting the disease increment over time, followed by Garlic and Bauhinia. Results on the disease index showed that the Garlic (20.79) was more effective than other treatments. It was followed by Neem (22.85) and Bauhinia (25.91). There was no significant difference between botanicals on the seedling vigor. Chemical fungicide was found to be more effective than botanicals in controlling the damping off disease. An overall result showed that botanicals were effective in controlling damping off disease of cauliflower in nursery. Neem gave the best results followed by Garlic.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eCompeting interests: The authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAkk\u0026ouml;pr\u0026uuml;, A., \u0026amp; Demir, S. (2005). Biological control of Fusarium wilt in tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici by AMF Glomus intraradices and some rhizobacteria. Journal of Phytopathology, 153(9), 544-550.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eCram MM (2003). Damping-Off. Tree Plant Notes 50:1\u0026ndash;5\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGovindachari, T. R., Suresh, G., Gopalakrishnan, G., Banumathy, B., \u0026amp; Masilamani, S. (1998). Identification of antifungal compounds from the seed oil ofAzadirachta Indica. Phytoparasitica, 26(2), 109-116.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHassan, O., \u0026amp; Chang, T. (2017). Chitosan for eco-friendly control of plant disease. Asian J. Plant Pathol, 11(2), 53-70.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHorst RK (2013). Damping-off. Westcott\u0026rsquo;s plant disease handbook. Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, p 177\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eIslam M. T. and A. N. Faruq, (2012). Effect of some Medicinal plant extracts on damping off disease of winter vegetable; World Appli. Sci. J., 17(11):1498-1503\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLamichhane J.R., Carolyne Durr, Andr\u0026eacute; A. Schwanck, Marie-H\u0026eacute;l\u0026egrave;ne Robin, and Jean-Pierre Sarthou, (2017).. Integrated management of damping-off diseases. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences/INRA, 2017, 37 (2)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMishra NP and Verma A. (2014). Evaluation of Antimicrobial, Antifungal and Phytochemical Properties of Bauhinia variegata. Current Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2014; 4 (2):\u0026nbsp;57-63.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMoALD, (2019). Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture. Singhadurbar, Kathmandu: Agri-Business Promotion and Statistics Division. Agri Statistics Section, Government of Nepal.83-93.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMuhsin, T. M., Al-Zubaidy, S. R., \u0026amp; Ali, E. T. (2001). Effect of garlic bulb extract on the growth and enzymatic activities of rhizosphere and rhizoplane fungi. Mycopathologia, 152(3), 143-146.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMukhopadhyay, A. N., Shrestha, S. M., \u0026amp; Mukherjee, P. K. (1992). Biological seed treatment for control of soil-borne plant pathogens. Bulletin Phytosanitaire de la FAO (FAO); Boletin Fitosanitario de la FAO (FAO).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSrinivasan, D., Nathan, S., Suresh, T., \u0026amp; Perumalsamy, P. L. (2001). Antimicrobial activity of certain Indian medicinal plants used in folkloric medicine. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 74(3), 217-220.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eUl Haq, I., Sarwar, M. K., Faraz, A., \u0026amp; Latif, M. Z. (2020). Synthetic chemicals: Major component of plant disease management. In \u003cem\u003ePlant disease management strategies for sustainable agriculture through traditional and modern approaches\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 53-81). Springer, Cham.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Antifungal properties, Botanical extract, Cauliflower, Damping off, Efficacy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3490959/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3490959/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAn experiment was conducted with five treatments in pot culture at Chitwan, in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with six replications to study the efficacy of botanicals in controlling damping off disease of cauliflower. Analysis of variance for each variable showed significant differences among treatments. The aqueous extracts of Neem leaf, Garlic clove and Bauhinia leaf were prepared for application. The positive control, Captan showed the highest efficiency in controlling pre - and post-emergence damping off and it was followed by Neem and Garlic, whereas both Neem and Garlic were statistically at par. Captan showed the highest germination percentage of seedlings 95.6% and least by Control (49.83%). The highest incidence of damping off was recorded in Control (80.49%). Neem and Garlic showed satisfactory results in controlling damping off disease and Bauhinia was insignificant with negative control. This suggested that, Neem and Garlic can be used to manage this nursery problem and more research is needed to be done in this regard.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of botanical extract on controlling damping off disease of cauliflower","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2023-10-30 18:23:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3490959/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9fd2d921-2039-443f-b8dc-9023c8111391","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 30th, 2023","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":25647888,"name":"Pathology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2023-10-30T18:23:48+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2023-10-30 18:23:48","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3490959","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3490959","identity":"rs-3490959","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"_2-kVJe1T_tPrBINL-cwx","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}