Abstract:
Objective Pathogens that cause the soft rot disease on Guichang kiwifruit and potential botanical fungicides for the disease control were investigated.
Method Suspected microbes were isolated using tissue culture and verified as the causation pathogens by means of artificial infection. The pathogens were identified morphologically and molecular biologically. In an indoor toxicity test using the mycelium growth method, 6 selected botanical fungicides were applied on the identified pathogenic isolates to determine their potencies for the disease control.
Result Among the 8 isolated strains, RF2 and RF2-4 induced the soft rot disease on kiwifruits. The BLAST comparison on NCBI of the rDNA-ITS sequences of these strains suggested that RF2 was Botryosphaeria dothidea with a perfect match, and RF2-4 Phomopsis sp. with a 99% homology. The morphological analysis further confirmed the identifications. The EC50 of the organic fungicides were found for 0.5% matrine AS to be 0.442 mg·L-1 against B. dothidea and 0.322 mg·L-1 against Phomopsis sp.; and for 0.3% eugenol SL, 0.680 mg·L-1 against B. dothidea and 0.301 mg·L-1 against Phomopsis sp. The potencies were greater than other botanical fungicides tested.
Conclusion B. dothidea and phomopsis sp.were positively identified as the pathogens that caused the soft rot disease on kiwifruits; and as botanical fungicides, 0.5% matrine AS and 0.3% eugenol SL seemed most effective for the disease control.