Potentiality of Inducer Resistance Chemicals and Bioagents in Managing Lettuce Downy Mildew

Abstract

Abstract:The tested inducer resistance chemicals (IRCs) bion (BTH), chitosan and salicylic acid as well as the bacterial bioagents Bacillus pumilus B. subtilis, B. thuringiensis and Pseudomonas fluorescens and the fungal bioagents Trichoderma album, T. harzianum and T. viride resulted in significant reduction to the germinated sporangia (conidia) of the fungus like Bremia lactucae Regel, the causal of lettuce downy mildew. This reduction was gradually increased by increasing the used concentration. The role of the tested IRCs and bioagents on management of the disease under greenhouse was evaluated. Under greenhouse conditions, spraying of lettuce plants artificially inoculted with the causal fungus like resulted in significant reduction to the severity of the disease compared with control treatment. Moreover, the IRC bion as well as P. fluorescens and T. harzianum were the most efficient treatments in this regard. Two field experiments were carried out during 2016/ 2017 growing season under natural infection by the disease to evaluate the efficacy of spraying of lettuce plants with any of the IRC bion and the bioagents P. fluorescens and T. harzianum on plants previously soaked or not in bion just before transplanting on the severity of the disease and weight of the grown plants. Data revealed that there was significant reduction to the severity of the disease with considerable increase to the average weight of each plant compared with control treatment due to sprying of these treatments. However, the fungicide Ridomil Gold MZ was the superior treatment in reducing the disease and increasing the weight of the foliage growth of lettuce plants. In addition, spraying of the IRC bion on plants soaked in bion just before transplanting ranked the second in this regarad followed by spraying of any of the two bioagents. Considerable increase in the activity of the oxidative reductive enzymes, i.e phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), peroxidase (PO) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), due to spraying of lettuce plants with bion, the bioagents P. fluorescens and T. harzianum as well as the fungicide Ridomil Gold MZ compared with unsprayed plants (control).