The Efficacy of Hot Water Treatments Against Fusarium Fujikuroi: The Fungal Agent of Bakanae Disease

Abstract

Rice is one of the most grown agricultural products in the world. It is the most preferred food item in the Turkish diet. One of the most important fungal diseases of rice is Bakanae disease. It is a seed-borne and complex disease caused by the Fusarium species. Fusarium fujikuroi is the most virulent and widespread species. The excessive use of fungicides has raised concerns such as a decrease in the fungicide sensitivity of F. fujikuroi in the world. For this reason, alternative methods are being investigated to control the disease. In this study, the therapeutic effect of hot water treatment on contaminated seeds was investigated. Trials were carried out under in vitro and in vivo conditions, to determine the effects of hot water treatment on the germination rate of rice seeds. Hot water treatments at 55 °C and 57 °C were the most effective treatments against pathogen. However, pathogen was not inhibited at 50 °C. The lowest disease severity was determined at 57 °C (2.5%) and this was followed by hot water treatments at 55 °C (22.33%) and 52 °C (77.30%) in vivo tests, respectively. No disease symptoms were observed in the negative control plants. According to evaluations, the disease incidence decreased when treatment temperature was increased, resulting in a slightly reduced germination rate.