Abstract

The blast of paddy is known in almost all the rice- growing countries of the world. It has been recorded from Italy, Russia, China, Japan, United States of America and India. In India, it has been known to occur in Bengal, Behar and several districts of Madras. It is the most important disease of the Paddy crop in South India and in bad years has been reported to cause losses up to seventy per cent of the yield. Rice being the staple food of the South Indian, paddy ranks first in importance among cultivated crops and the area under paddy in Madras runs to about 11 million acres. The control of a disease of such destructive possibilities is therefore of profound importance from an economic view point.

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