Efficacy of Essential Oil Formulations in Rice Seed Treatment Against iMagnaporthe oryzae /iB.C Couch, a Rice Blast Pathogen

Rice is one of the most widely produced cereals in Burkina Faso. However, the fungi transmitted by rice seeds, iOryza sativa/i L, cause enormous production losses in rice fields. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of powdery formulations of essential oils against iMagnaporthe oryzae /iin rice. Thus, rice seeds of the FKR64 variety were disinfected with 15% sodium hypochlorite for 10 minutes and soaked in the suspension of 10sup4/sup conidia/ml for 24 hours. These contaminated rice seeds were coated into powdery formulations of essential oils of iL. multiflora,/i iC. schoenanthus/i and their combination at a dose of 10g/kg of seed. A contaminated control was used. The experimental set-up was a completely randomised block with four treatments in three replicates, one of which was an absolute control. These treatments were carried out on iL. multiflora /iessential oil, iC. schoenanthus essential oil/i and their combination at a proportion of 50%. The results showed that the essential oil of iL. multiflora/i recorded the highest percentage emergence, average height and average number of tillers of the plants, with values of 97.33%, 47.67 cm and 7.89 tillers respectively. This same formulation recorded the lowest percentage of seedling melt and foliar incidence, at 1.33% and 11.67% respectively. These essential oil formulations can be recommended for seed treatment against iMagnaporthe oryzae/i.