ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACHES AGAINST ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA CAUSING LEAF SPOT OF STEVIA (STEVIA REBAUDIANA)Sushma S. M. G., Naveen K. R. and Dharani U.Abstract Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a small perennial and herbaceous shrub that originated from South America and belongs to the Asteraceae family. Stevia is also known âsugar substitute, sweet weed, candy leaf and sweet herbâ and also a chief source of vitamin âCâ. Stevia leaves are high in folic acid and rich in carbohydrates and reducing sugars estimated to be 300 times sweeter than sugarcane. Alternaria leaf spot caused by Alternaria alternata is the most common disease in stevia, An experimental trial was taken up to evaluate the efficacy of selected eco-friendly treatments on the growth parameters in stevia over Alternaria alternata at Central Research Farm, Division of Plant Pathology, Naini Agricultural Institute, U.P. Maximum plant height (50.40 cm), Maximum number of branches (23) and minimum disease intensity (22.79%) are recorded in the treatment combination of T8 - Microalgae + neem cake + vermicompost followed by T6 â Microalgae + vermicompost. |