The effectiveness of the Fungus Beauveria bassiana in reducing the infection of okra plant Abelmosechus eseulentus with fungal root diseases.

Abstract

This study was conducted in the laboratories of the College of Agriculture - University of Basra in the years 2020 and 2021, in which the fungus B.bassiana was used. To combat the root fungus that infects okra, the results showed the isolation of many pathogenic fungi, and these fungi showed a significant difference in the effect on seed germination and seedling fall. The entomopathogenic fungus B.bassiana has a high ability to colonize roots and promote plant growth, such as plant height, fresh weight, and plant dry weight. The results of field surveys of four areas in Basra governorate showed, namely Shatt Al-Arab, Abu Al-Khasib, Al-Qurnah and Al-Madina. The highest incidence and severity of okra root rot disease was in Al-Madinah region, where the infection rate was 37% and the infection intensity was 67.33%, followed by Abu Al-Khasib district, where the infection rate was 24% and the infection severity was 52.89%. This disease is caused by the fungi Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani and Macrophomina phaseolina. Pathogenicity test results showed that F. solani gave the highest mortality rate for seedlings, followed by R. solani and M.phaseolina efficiently inhibiting the growth of pathogenic fungi. In the greenhouse experiment test, the experiment showed that the highest length of the vegetative group was in the biological treatment of fungi,Corresponding author: E-mail (abdu1988875@yahoo.com) Al-Muthanna University All rights reserved