In vitro effect of some commercial fungicides on mycelial growth of Fusarium species causing maize ear rot disease in China

Abstract

Fusarium ear rot is an important disease of maize and requires several fungicide treatments to achieve satisfactory control in China. The extensive use of common fungicides to control this disease has caused fungicides resistance of pathogens. In this study, we tested the effect of different commercial fungicides on mycelial growth of Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium oxysporum isolates collected from different fields in the Jilin Province of China in 2014. The effect of concentration on mycelial growth varied significantly (p < 0.05) between tested commercial fungicides. Our results showed that among the 10 tested commercial fungicides, prochloraz and polyoxin-D highly reduced the mycelial growth of Fusarium graminearum by 3.4 cm and 4.1 cm, respectively as compared to other fungicides at a concentration of 0.1 mg/L. Moreover, a 0.1 mg/L concentration of polyoxin-D, tebuconazole, fosetyl-Al, fludioxonil, azoxystrobin, and carbendazim were also highly effective to decrease the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum with 3.1 cm, 3.1 cm, 3.4 cm, 3.8 cm, and 4.4 cm as compared to other fungicides at the same concentration. These results will provide useful information to select suitable fungicides for management and control of maize ear rot disease caused by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium oxysporum and further increase our understanding of the effects of different fungicides concentrations on Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium oxysporum.