Context:
FMC India recently announced the launch of its latest product, ENTAZIA bio fungicide.
Relevance:
GS III: Agriculture
Dimensions of the Article:
- ENTAZIA
- Key Advantages
- Leaf Blight: Foliage-Affecting Plant Disease
ENTAZIA
- ENTAZIA is a bio fungicide crop protection product that contains Bacillus subtilis.
- Developed by FMC India.
Environmental Sustainability
- Aims to provide farmers with a potent and eco-friendly tool for safeguarding crops against fungi.
Key Advantages
- Natural Control: Utilizes Bacillus subtilis’s natural abilities to combat bacterial leaf blight, a significant rice disease.
- Crop Defense Activation: By stimulating the plant’s natural defense mechanisms against pathogens, it prevents and manages bacterial leaf blight while preserving natural predators and parasites.
- Promotes Natural Pest Resistance: Utilizes naturally occurring Bacillus subtilis to establish a robust defense line against bacterial leaf blight.
- Enhances Plant Resilience: Fosters a healthy plant microbiome, strengthening plants against stress factors and contributing to overall growth and vitality.
- Integration Potential: Can be incorporated into integrated pest management programs with FMC’s bio-stimulants and synthetic fungicides, offering additional benefits to the plants.
Leaf Blight: Foliage-Affecting Plant Disease
- Leaf blight is a plant disease characterized by the deterioration and damage of a plant’s foliage, specifically its leaves.
- Common symptoms include discoloration, wilting, and, in severe instances, the death of the affected leaves.
Causative Agents
- Typically, leaf blight is caused by various types of fungi or bacteria that invade and harm the plant’s tissues.
- These pathogens infect the leaves, leading to the observed symptoms and, if left unchecked, can negatively impact the plant’s overall health.
Host Range
- Leaf blight is not limited to specific plant types and can affect a wide range of plants.
- This includes trees, shrubs, ornamental plants, and various crop species.
- The specific pathogen causing the blight and the symptoms may vary depending on the plant species and environmental conditions.
-Source: The Hindu
