Active Ingredient and Mode of Action
Validamycin belongs to the glucopyranosyl antibiotic chemical class (FRAC Group 26), possessing specialized antifungal activity against basidiomycete fungi.
It acts by inhibiting the trehalase enzyme in pathogenic fungi, disrupting trehalose sugar breakdown and depriving the hyphae of glucose, which causes tip burst and hyphal death.
- Active Molecule: Validamycin 3% L (Soluble Liquid)
- Trehalase Enzyme Inhibitor: Disrupts internal glucose transport, causing fungal hyphae to burst at apical tips
- Systemic & Contact Action: Absorbed through plant sheaths with translaminar movement protecting internal stem tissues
- Safety Profile: Exceptional environmental safety profile with low mammalian and aquatic toxicity
Target Diseases and Paddy Crop Indications
Validamycin is the foremost antibiotic treatment against sheath blight in irrigated rice fields.
Sheath blight typically develops during high humidity and dense tillering, spreading upward from water level to flag leaves.
- Paddy Sheath Blight: Snake-skin-like greenish-grey lesions with dark brown margins on lower leaf sheaths (Rhizoctonia solani)
- Sheath Rot: Secondary fungal sheath rot complexes infesting upper leaf sheaths enclosing panicles
- Damping Off in Vegetables: Soil drenching controls Rhizoctonia damping-off and root rots in tomato and chilli seedling nurseries
Application Guidelines and Spraying Strategy
Because sheath blight initiates at the water line, direct the spray nozzle toward the base of the rice hills rather than spraying over the top canopy.
Apply at the first appearance of lesions on lower sheaths (typically at maximum tillering to panicle initiation).
- Foliar Dilution: Apply at 2 to 2.5 ml per liter of water (approx. 400 to 500 ml per acre in 200 liters of water)
- Base Directed Spraying: Part dense rice tillers to deliver spray droplets directly onto lower stem sheaths
- Tank Mixing: Compatible with most neutral insecticides (such as pymetrozine or buprofezin) for combined borer and hopper passes
Official source
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Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee ↗Related on KisanPe
Common questions
What is Validamycin 3% L used for in rice?
Validamycin 3% L is an antibiotic fungicide specifically used to control sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani) in paddy crops.
How does Validamycin kill sheath blight fungus?
It inhibits the trehalase enzyme in the fungus, preventing glucose breakdown and causing the growing tips of fungal hyphae to rupture.
Where should the spray be directed when applying Validamycin?
Direct spray droplets toward the base of the rice stems near the water line where sheath blight infection begins.
General guidance, not personal advice. For your farm, ask your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or agriculture officer.
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