Suppression and Elimination of Rhynchosporium oryzae by Benomyl in Rice Foliage and Seed in Liberia. Melville D. Thomas, UNV Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia. David Mayango, Senior Laboratory Technician, and Wilhelmetta Oberly, Teaching Assistant, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia. Plant Dis. 69:884-886. Accepted for publication 14 January 1985. Copyright 1985 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-69-884.

In field experiments, three to five applications of benomyl at 0.5 kg a.i./ha reduced foliar infection by Rhynchosporium oryzae in the rice cultivar Lac 23. In laboratory tests, R. oryzae was eliminated from seeds of Lac 23 soaked in 2,500 ppm a.i. of benomyl in water for 30 min. Lower concentrations of 1,200 and 600 ppm a.i. of benomyl did not eliminate the fungus from the seeds. Seed viability was not affected by soaking in 2,500 ppm a.i. of benomyl.