Using fungicides for the control of the sudden wilting of melon and watermelon caused by Monosporascus cannonballus
Plant Protection, Vegetablesתחום או ענף הגה"צ; ירקות
תאריך עדכון 1/10/2011
תיאור מלא Using fungicides for the control of the sudden wilting of melon and watermelon caused by Monosporascus cannonballus
Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel – Northern and Central Arava Research and Development
Roni Cohen, Zeev Gerstel – Ne'va Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Israel
Email for correspondence: ShimonP@arava.co.il
Melon is the main crop in the Arava. The main soilborne disease of melon in the Arava and other regions of southern Israel is the sudden wilting caused by the fungus Monosporascus cannonballus. Today, there is still no alternative to methyl bromide for the control of this disease in melon during the spring growing season. The goals of the research conducted by Arava R&D during the 2006/7 and 2008/9 seasons were as follows: A) to study the efficacies of different fungicides for the control of Monosporascus in the Arava; and B) to study the timing and frequency of fungicide applications, as well as application rates. We evaluated the abilities of fungicides from different chemical families to delay the vegetative growth of Monosporascus in Petri dishes. In a field study conducted at the Zohar Research Station (Sodom Valley) during the fall and spring seasons, we evaluated the efficacy of these fungicides, as well as their effects on the yields of melon and dwarf watermelon. We attempted to identify the necessary application timings, application rates and frequency of application. The examination of fungicides in Petri dishes was found to be an effective approach for the primary screening of materials for use against Monosporascus. We identified a number of substances that effectively prevented the development of this disease in roots and the death of melon and dwarf watermelon plants in the field.
The experiments described in the report facilitated the granting of licenses for the use of Amistar (azoxystrobin) and Sportak (prochloraz) to control Monosporascus in melon. The products Signum (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) and Commodore (azoxystrobin + chlorothalonil) are in a registration process. Based on the knowledge accumulated to date, recommendations have been publicized for the application of fungicides in melon and dwarf watermelon in different seasons. These recommendations have been adopted by the majority of growers in the Arava and other parts of the country and have contributed to the noticeable decrease in the death of plants in the field and increased yields. Intelligent use of fungicides, involving alternation between different substances within and between growing seasons, allows us to prevent or decrease the effects of a variety of soil-associated and canopy diseases in melon and helps preserve the long-term efficacy of these substances.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture for funding this research.
שפה English
מלות מפתח Cucumis melo, Citrullus lanatus
מחבר Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel, Roni Cohen, Zeev Gerstel
שנה 2010
שייכות yzvieli
תאריך יצירה 1/10/2011
תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012