Identification of Puccinia pimpinellae on Anise Plant in Egypt and Its Control

Abstract

An emerging problem for the wider adoption of anise plantation in Egypt is the damage caused by the rust fungus. The detailed description and taxonomic studies (using light and scanning electron microscopy) show that such an obligate parasite fungus (Puccinia pimpinellae) is autoecious microcyclic (uredinial-telial stage only). Among tested Apiaceae plants, the host range test proved the specificity of the rust fungus to anise. To the researcher's knowledge, this is the first investigated record of a rust fungus on Pimpinella anisum plants in Egypt. The effectiveness of some plant resistance elicitors and two active chitinase producers; Bacillus subtilis Bio4 and isolated Trichoderma harizianum CH4 (both of them recorded the highest clear zone/colony size ratio on chitin agar plates) in controlling anise rust disease and on growth and yield of anise were evaluated in two successive growing seasons. Spraying chitosan at 1000 ppm was the most potent in reducing Disease Severity (DS) and Incidence (DI) as well as improving plant height, chlorophyll content, inflorescence No. plant-1 (74.2 and 76), 1000-fruit weight (2.94 and 2.83 g) and anise yield (646.8 and 670.0 kg fed-1), during both seasons. B. subtilis Bio4 and T. harizianum CH4 showed moderate effect on the tested parameters.