| dc.description.abstract | Rice is the most important food crop in Indonesia. Sheath blight disease is one of inhibiting factors in rice productivity improvement. Ralstonia pickettii has been reported as potential biological control agent of sheath blight. R. pickettii formulation technologies should be developed to increase its durability and effectiveness in suppressing sheath blight disease in the field. The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of R. pickettii formulation in liquid and paste form. We formulated R. pickettii in liquid formulation by addition of glycerol to a final concentration of 25%. Paste formulation was made with composition of 44% talc, 3% xanthan gum, 3% molasses, 40% vegetable oil and 10% bacterial suspension. Efficacy test of both formulations was performed at concentrations of 5% and 10% in liquid formulation and 25 g/l and 50 g/l in paste formulation. Liquid formulation at both concentrations inhibited sheath blight disease at 5, 8, and 9 week after planting, whereas paste formulation with concentration of 50 g/l suppressed sheath blight disease at 5, 6, and 8 week after planting. However, paste formulation at concentration of 25 g/l only suppressed sheath blight disease at 8 WAP. Application of liquid and paste formulations did not affect plant height, number of tillers, and number of panicles of rice plants. Furthermore, application of liquid formulation at concentrations of 5% and 10% increased the fresh weight as much as 22% and 35%, respectively, and dry weight of grain as much as 26% and 32%, respectively. Otherwise, application of paste formulation at a concentration of 50 g/l increased the fresh weight of grain | en |
