Preliminary investigation of Verticillium wilt on mango trees (Mangifera indica L.) in Egypt.
Youssef K. Y. A., Rehab M. E. A. A., El-Ghany K. M. A.
Author Affiliation: Agricultural Research Center, Plant Pathology Research Institute, 9 Gamaa St., Giza 12619, Egypt.
American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 8 : 50-58
Abstract : The research was conducted to determine the distribution and aggressiveness of Verticillium wilt on mango in Egypt and to verify some alternative control methods to substitute/reduce the use of synthetic fungicides. A survey was carried out in five Egyptian provinces known to be the major mango producing areas. The highest disease incidence was observed in Nubaria province (12.1%) followed by Ismaelia, Giza, Qalybia and Sharkyia, respectively. Among mango cultivars, Zebda was highly susceptible (22.7%), whereas Kent cultivar showed the lowest percentage of disease incidence and severity in all areas. Verticillium dahliae was the most isolated fungi occurs during the process of isolation recording (45%) followed by Fusarium solani, F. semitectum and Rhizoctonia solani, respectively. Effect of several organic and inorganic salts on V. dahliae-mycelial growth and in soil test was determined in vitro. The activity of salts was less effective in soil test compared to PDA test. MIC and ED50 values were determined for all tested salts. Potassium sorbate, ammonium bicarbonate and EDTA disodium showed the best performance and completely inhibited V. dahliae growth at 0.25%. As a conclusion, with the increase cultivation of mango in areas previously dedicated to horticultural crops, more problems with Verticillium wilt are expected and the presence of the disease may represent a threat for mango production in Egypt.