Douaa Homsi(1)(2)* Mohamad Azmeh(2) Entessar Al_Jbawi(3)
(1). Field crop research department, General commission for scientific Agricultural Research, Damascus, Syria.
(2) . Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus, Syria.
(3). Agricultural Extension Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture, Damascus, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Douaa Homsi, E-Mail: d.homssi1989@gmail.com).
Accepted:10/04/2023 22/01/2022 Received:
Abstract:
This research aimed to compare the effect of the biological treatment of sugar beet seeds with Trichoderma harzianum fungus, with the chemical treatment of two types of fungicides, in order to control the fungus that causes seedling dampping-off disease and improving yield qualities of the crop. The field experiment was carried out to test the efficiency and effect of the biological treatment of sugar beet seeds with Trichoderma harzianum, compared with the chemical treatments of the crop seeds with three concentrations of both of the fungicides Flutolanil 25% Moncut (3,1.5,0.75 g/1kg seeds) andThiophanate-methyl 70% Actamyl (3,1.5,0.75 g/ 1kg seeds), and the control treatment (untreated seeds) in reducing the infection rate of seedling damping-off disease caused by both pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum isolated from sugar beet plants that showed symptoms of the disease in field. Results of the field experiment showed significant superiority of the biological treatment with the T.harzianum in reducing the infection rate of seedling damping-off disease to (33.33)%, compared with the infection rate of the control (untreated seeds), and the other chemical treatments. The results of field experiment also showed that biological treatment significantly surpassed the control and the other chemical treatments in terms of efficiency of reducing the infection of seedling disease, and reached (58.33)% compared to the control, and chemical treatments. Result of the field experiment showed significant superiority of the biological treatment in achieving the highest values for all studied growth and production characteristics, compared with the control and chemical treatments, where the number of plants at harvest, resulting from the biological treatment, reached (66667) plant/ha compared with the control, and the other chemical treatments. Root yield of the biological treatment reached (63.29) tons/ha significantly higher than root production with control treatment, and root production with the other chemical treatments. The extractable sugar yield (the final yield of the crop) for the biological treatment was (8.002) tons/ha, significantly better than extractable yield of control, and the extractable yield of the other chemical treatments. Thus, our results indicate the potential of using the bio-alternative T.harzianum in the treatment of sugar beet seeds in order to reduce the incidence of damping-off disease and achieve an increase in production.
Key words: damping-off seedling, Rhizoctonia solani, F.oxysporum, Trichoderma harzianum, Pantex, Moncut, sugar beet.
Full paper in Arabic: pdf