Evaluation of non-conventional chemicals against Verticillium fungicola causing dry bubble disease in Agaricus bisporus button mushroom

Abstract

Verticillium fungicola is an important pathogen causing dry bubble disease in button mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Present investigations were carried out on both host and pathogen by covering an aspect of management of dry bubble disease causing pathogen. Therefore, non-conventional chemicals such as salicylic acid and jasmonic acid with different concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mM) were evaluated and growth inhibition was 44.96% recorded at concentration 0.4 mM with salicylic acid, followed by jasmonic acid (23.42%) against V. fungicola. In In vivo both salicylic acid and jasmonic acid resulted in reduction of lesions size on A. bisporus to the extent of 69.69% and 39.93%, respectively at concentration of 0.4mM. Similarly, the number of lesions reduction was 81.96% (salicylic acid) and 54.64% (jasmonic acid) at same concentration. In host A. bisporus growth inhibition was 16% with salicylic acid and 11% with jasmonic acid at the same concentration.