Methods for the control of the soil-borne pathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata on sweet potato: A mini review

Abstract

Ceratocystis fimbriata is a hazardous fungal pathogen that causes black rot disease in sweet potato roots, leading to devastating losses during sweet potato growth and storage. All methods for managing C. fimbriata on sweet potatoes based on synthetic fungicides, biocontrol agents, coatings, and natural compounds are reviewed for the first time. The advantages and disadvantages of the different methods have been discussed, and their efficacy has been compared. The synthetic fungicides carbendazim, flutriafol, liguoling, Stadium®, thiabendazole, and thiophanate methyl, in addition to Bacillus strains, showed the greatest inhibitory activity. Bacillus strains possess an advantage over synthetic fungicides due to the detrimental impact of the studied fungicides on human health. The application of filamentous fungi and yeasts as biocontrol agents for C. fimbriata management has not yet been investigated. The coatings exhibited limited protection, and none of them were combined with nanoparticles or essential oils. Although the natural compounds perillaldehyde and nerol are inexpensive and non-toxic, they showed low efficacy. All management strategies have been used on postharvest sweet potatoes and sweet potato leaves; however, there are no approaches for controlling C. fimbriata in roots during plant growth. Even though several methods for controlling C. fimbriata on sweet potatoes have been reported in recent years, numerous knowledge gaps impede the development of effective and safe approaches.