In Vitro Effects of Five Different Classes of Fungicides on Growth and Development of Botrytis cinerea Isolated from Tree Peony in China

Abstract

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea has become an important limiting factor for tree peony production. Currently, chemical control is still the main means of managing the disease in China. The objective of this study was to test fungicides with different mechanisms of action in controlling B. cinerea on tree peony. The inhibitory efficacy of five fungicides on four asexual stages was measured in the petri dish containing culture medium amended with a tested fungicide at various concentrations. The results showed that carbendazim had the strongest inhibition effect against all four stages of B. cinerea, with the EC50 values of 0.1037, 0.0563, 0.5578, and 0.0797 mg·L–1, respectively. The inhibitory effect of diethofencarb was only slightly less than that of carbendazim on conidia production, germination, and germ tube elongation. The inhibitory effect of procymidone was second only to that of carbendazim on colony expansion. The results indicated that carbendazim and diethofencarb could be used as protective fungicides to spray in the early stage of disease occurrence to inhibit conidia germination and germ tube elongation, so as to reduce the infection rate of B. cinerea and prevent disease occurrence. Carbendazim, procymidone, and diethofencarb mainly inhibit the reinfection of B. cinerea by inhibiting the growth of mycelium and the production of conidia, so they could be used as control fungicides during the occurrence phase of the disease.