Management of Root Rot, Damping-off and Wilt diseases of Verbascum (Verbascum thapsus L.) using Nanometal Particles and Fungicides

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ornamental, Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Diseases Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Survey of verbascum plants exhibited typical symptoms of root rot and wilt diseases was carried out from different localities belong to Beni-Suef governorate. Root rot and /or wilt fungal diseases were detected in Beni-Suef governorate during seasons 20015/2016 and 2016/2017. Mean percentages of infection were 28.3, 38.3 and 17.9 in Beba, Ehnasea and Somosta counties, respectively. Isolation trials from diseased plants resulted in fungal species identified as Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Macrophomina phaseolina and Pythium debaryanum. The most frequent fungal species were Rhizoctonia solani and F. solani. In contrast, M. phaseolina showed the lowest frequency. Pathogenicity tests carried out under greenhouse conditions proved that all the isolated fungi cause damping-off, root rot and /or wilt to verbascum plants. F. solani and R. solani were the most virulent fungi with the highest percentages of root rot and /or wilt. While, M. phaseolina showed the lowest in this respect. Zinc, (ZnO-NPs) and Copper, (CuO-NPs) nanoparticles, and fungicides (Topsin M, Score and Tango) were used to control the causal pathogens. Copper, CuO-NPs was the most effective treatment followed by ZnO-NPs in inhibiting the growth of the tested fungi. Under greenhouse conditions, it was found that the fungal infection was reduced as a result of these treatments and the verbascum growth parameters were improved. Copper, CuO-NPs proved to be the highest effective treatment against tested fungi. In the applied field experiments, all treatments induced a highly significant protection.

Keywords