Study of green mold infection on pomegranate fruits in the western part of Azerbaijan

Abstract

The article presents information on green mold (Penicillium expansum Lk. et Thom.) infection on pomegranate bushes in the western part of Azerbaijan. The activities which was carried out in the period 2021-2023 and were focused on the phytosanitary condition of pomegranate orchards with large industrial importance located in the Ganja-Kazakh geographical zone (western part of the country) showed that fungal diseases were widespread in the region, including green mold (Penicillium expansum Lk. et Thom.) infection. In some years, the green fruit mold (Penicillium expansum Lk. et Thom.) has reduced the productivity of pomegranate bushes by 50-100%. The local cultivars of pomegranate were the object of the study and the results showed that all varieties were highly susceptible to the pathogen. The article presents also results of laboratory experiments about effectiveness of some fungicides – 0.4% Selphate (37.5% copper oxychloride + 16% zineb), 0.05% Azoxifene (20% azoxystrobin + 12.5% difenoconazole), 0.05% Conazole (25% difenoconazole) and 0.3% P-oxide (50% copper oxychloride) against green mold infection. The assessment of biological effectiveness was based on reduction of growth of green mold (Penicillium expansum Lk. et Thom.) on the treated variants relative to the control. Among the tested fungicides, the product Selphate showed the highest biological effectiveness. Keywords: pomegranate, pathogen, Penicillium Link., protection, fungicides