Publication Date:
2015-08-07
Description:
Botryosphaeria canker is likely the most injurious disease for cork production in the Mediterranean Basin. The exclusion of Benomyl, the standard commercial product used to prevent Botryosphaeria canker, from the EU Pesticide Database in 2003 necessitates the search for new alternatives to prevent cork oak cankering. In vitro experiments showed that every fungicide tested at 10 3 mg l –1 active ingredient was effective in reducing mycelial growth of Diplodia corticola . An initial field experiment showed that cork oak trunks sprayed with Thiophanate-methyl, Carbendazim, Difenoconazole, Pyraclostrobin or Copper-Calcium Sulphate under low-humidity environmental conditions exhibited significant decreases in the number and length of trunk lesions, 3 years post-treatment, compared with untreated trees. A second field experiment conducted under extremely wet conditions showed that only Thiophanate-methyl was effective, 2.5 years after treatments, when sprayed just after peeling. Finally, in a third field experiment, under wet conditions, the preventive effectiveness of Thiophanate-methyl, Copper-Calcium Sulphate and a mix of both fungicides was confirmed, although no synergistic effect of the mixture was measured. Copper-Calcium Sulphate or Thiophanate-methyl, when applied immediately after trunk peeling, is effective for preventive control of Botryosphaeria canker on cork oak and may be considered as an effective replacement for Benomyl.
Print ISSN:
0015-752X
Electronic ISSN:
1464-3626
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
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