Control of powdery mildew in okra using cultural filtrates of certain bio-agents alone and mixed with penconazole

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the culture filtrates of certain bio-agents (Epicoccum nigrum, Epicoccum minitans, Epicoccum sp., Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma viride and Bacillus pumilus) alone and mixed with penconazole against powdery mildew in okra. The results showed that the culture filtrate of E. nigrum induced the highest efficacy against powdery mildew relative to other treatments in both tested seasons. Moreover, culture filtrate of E.nigrum mixed with the tested fungicide gave higher efficiency against powdery mildew than use of the fungicide alone. The efficacy of the tested culture filtrates against powdery mildew due to the presence of different antifungal compounds identified by (GC–MS) analysis. This study suggests the ability of using the culture filtrates of the tested bio-agents as alternative of fungicides to control powdery mildew in okra. Furthermore, the results implied the possibility to minimise the use of fungicides by mixing with the microbial culture filtrates.