Effect of Water and Seeds Magnetization on Root Rot and Wilt Diseases of Faba Bean

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Pathology Dept., Faculty of Agric., Assiut Univ., 71526 Assiut, Egypt

2 Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, 12619, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Thirty-eight isolates of fungi belonging to genera Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Macrophomina were isolated from diseased faba bean plants, collected from different localities in New Valley governorate, showing root rot and wilt symptoms. The isolates proved to be pathogenic on Masr 1 faba bean cultivar under greenhouse conditions. R. solani, F. solani, M. phaseolina and Fusarium spp. isolates caused root rot diseases; however, isolates of F. oxysporum caused wilt. The virulence of isolates on the tested faba bean cultivar was varied. The highly pathogenic isolates of these fungi were employed in this study. The effect of magnetized tap water (MTW), magnetized agricultural drainage water (MADW) and magnetized seeds (MS) on the severity of root rot caused by R. solani, F. solani and M. phaseolina and wilt diseases caused by F. oxysporum of faba bean was tested under greenhouse and field conditions as well as its effect on plant growth and yield components in the field. The obtained data indicated that faba bean plants derived from (MS) then irrigated with magnetized water, either tap or agricultural drainage water recorded the lowest root rot and wilt severity under artificial soil infestation with any of the tested fungi and/or natural infection in the field compared with non-magnetized seeds (NMS) then irrigated with non-monetized water (NMW), respectively. Plants derived from MS and irrigated with magnetized water (MTW and MADW) gave the highest plant growth parameters (plant height, number of branches/plant) and yield components (number of pods and seeds/plant, weight of 100 seeds and total yield/feddan) compared with those grown from non-magnetized seeds and irrigated with non-magnetized water (tap and agricultural drainage water, respectively). Generally, plants derived from magnetized faba bean seeds and irrigated with magnetized tap water recorded the lowest root rot and wilt severity under greenhouse and field conditions and increased plant growth and yield parameters.

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