| Abstrakt: |
•Fusarium fujikuroi, the causative agent of bakanae disease in rice, is a weak soil-borne pathogen under North Indian conditions in the rice-wheat cropping system.•The qPCR analysis revealed changes in Fusarium fujikuroiabundance, with the highest colonization in August 2021 (1.19 × 10¹⁰) and a notable decline by June 2022 (1.84 × 10⁶).•The predominant fungal genera observed in bakanae infected field following rice-wheat cropping system are Talaromyces, Mortierella, Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Emericellopsis, Fusarium, Chaetomium, Westerdykella and Amesia.•Metagenome analysis also showed a prevalence of genera such as Trichoderma, Talaromyces, Penicillium,and Westerdykella in irrigated rice fields, which are known to antagonize Fusarium fujikuroiand could serve as potential biocontrol agents.•Overall, this study recommends providing a 6–7 months interval between rice harvest and the next sowing, along with the use of potential biocontrol agents, for the effective management of bakanae disease under Northern Indian conditions. |
