After-infection Activity of Protective Fungicides against Apple White Rot

Abstract

In a trial to select suitable fungicides for developing a spray program that can control apple white rot effectively, after-infection activities in some protective fungicides were detected. Six fungicides, mancozeb, propineb, benomyl, folpet, azoxystrobin and iminoctadine-triacetate, which had been extensively used in apple orchards, were sprayed on 12-year-old apple trees (cv. Fuji) at 15-day intervals from late May to late July. Disease incidences and infection frequencies of the fruit bagged just before and soon after each spray were examined. When the infection frequency or disease incidence of the fruit bagged after each spraying of fungicide was significantly lower than those of the fruit bagged before spraying, the fungicides appeared to confer after-infection activity. The six fungicides showed diverse activities on white rot: folpet showed after-infection activity on disease development, iminoctadine-triacetate showed after-infection activity on infection, azoxystrobin showed after-infection activity on disease development and infection, and mancozeb, propineb and benomyl showed no distinct activity. The activity of a fungicide became much higher when it was sprayed alternately with other fungicide rather than successive spraying of the same fungicide. Analysis of the properties of these protective fungicides could lead to the development of a highly effective spray program against white rot.