PRE-PLANTING TREATMENTS WITH PHOSPHITE-BASED PRODUCTS AGAINST DIFFERENT FOLIAR AND SOIL-BORNE PATHOGENS OF VEGETABLE...

Area of Science:

• Plant Pathology
• Agricultural Science
• Horticulture

Background:

• Phosphite salts are increasingly explored as alternatives to chemical fungicides in agriculture.
• Preventative treatments are crucial for managing soil-borne and foliar plant pathogens.
• Nursery cultivation requires effective disease control strategies to ensure healthy plant starts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of phosphite salt treatments against various plant pathosystems.
• To compare phosphite salt efficacy with chemical fungicides in greenhouse settings.
• To assess the potential of phosphite salts in nursery disease management.

Main Methods:

• Conducted fifteen greenhouse trials across six pathosystems: tomato/Phytophthora nicotianae, zucchini/P. capsici, lettuce/Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae, rocket/F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani, wild rocket/Plectosphaerella cucumerina, and basil/Peronospora belbahrii.
• Applied phosphite-based products preventatively.
• Compared phosphite treatments with chemical fungicides (mefenoxam) and control groups.

Main Results:

• Phosphite treatments reduced Phytophthora crown root rot severity by 66-88% in tomatoes and 56-72% in zucchini.
• Disease reduction for Fusarium wilt in lettuce ranged from 33-83% and in rocket from 45-68% with four phosphite applications.
• Consistent results (34-82% reduction) were observed for Plectosphaerella cucumerina with three phosphite treatments.
• Phosphite products showed efficacy comparable to mefenoxam against downy mildew in basil.

Conclusions:

• Phosphite salts demonstrate significant potential for controlling key plant diseases in greenhouse and nursery settings.
• These treatments offer a viable complementary strategy to chemical fungicides for integrated disease management.
• Phosphite-based products provide a valuable tool for reducing disease severity and improving crop health.