Controlling Cabbage Fusarium Wilt (Yellows) Using Topsin M and Some Commercial Bio-Fertilizer Products

Abstract

Cabbage is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables in Egypt; Fusarium wilt causes significant crop loss in quantity and quality of most vegetable crops. The most frequency and isolated fungus from cabbage roots growing at Faquose District, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt was Fusarium oxysporum, followed by Verticillium albo-atrum. As for pathogenic activities of Verticillium albo-atrum and Fusarium oxysporum isolates on cabbage plants (cv. Balady), Fusarium oxysporum isolate No.5 gave the highest wilt disease severity. Host range of the tested Fusarium oxysporum isolate 5 revealed that cabbage (cv. Balady) was the only infected host. Field experiments were conducted to study the effect of Topsin M70%, Microbin, Rhizobactrin, and Weed-Max (blue-green algae extracts in powder phase) and Oligo-X algae (blue-green algae extracts in liquid phase) on vegetative growth (head diameter and stem height), total yield and wilt disease severity on cabbage (cv. Balady), during the two winter growing seasons of 2015 and 2016 in Sharkia Governorate at Faquose District. Results showed that both head diameter and total yield were increased by Topsin M70% and Microbin application followed by Weed-Max as well as Oligo-X, but the lowest one was Rhizobactrin compared with control. Also, wilt disease severity was decreased without significant effect on stem length. Regarding the effects of applied treatments on biochemical changes in cabbage plants (cv. Balady) under field conditions, all tested treatments reduced the activities of polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulase (CX) enzymes as well as, increased total phenols and total chlorophyll compared with control. In this respect, Topsin M70% and Microbin followed byWeed-Max as well as Oligo-X were the most effective treatments in reducing the activities of PG, CX and increased total phenol contents compared with Rhizobactrin treatment and control.