Assessing seed treatments to control sudden death syndrome caused by Fusarium virguliforme and seedling and root disease caused by root and Rhizoctonia sp. on mungbeans (Vigna radiata L.)

Abstract

There is growing interest in producing mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) in the U.S., which is driven by increased consumer demand. Strategies are needed for U.S. farmers to take advantage of this high-value crop and its environmental sustainability. Recommendations for the management of mungbean seedling and root diseases are lacking. Preliminary research in central Iowa mungbean fields from 2019 to 2023 has shown that mungbean is particularly vulnerable to Fusarium virguliforme, the cause of soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS), and Rhizoctonia sp., the cause of damping-off, root decay, premature defoliation, and pod abortion. The purpose of this study was to screen a variety of fungicides as a seed treatment or a soil band application to control root rot in mungbeans. We performed three field studies over two years using mungbean cultivars, Berken and OK2000. Seed treatments Evergol Energy + Fluopyram and Evergol Energy + Pydiflumetofen showed the highest performance (P<0.05) with ~30% more healthy roots than nontreated controls. Other treatments exhibited about 20% more healthy roots than the nontreated control. Biotam in-furrow application showed the highest plant population for cv. OK2000, but we observed no treatment differences in plant stand for cv. Berken.