نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسنده
گروه زراعت، دانشکده کشاورزی و هورالعظیم، دانشگاه ذیقار، ذیقار-64001، عراق.
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسنده [English]
Objective
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the plant growth regulator Atonic and the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma viride on reducing Alternaria alternata infection, both individually and in combination. The goal was also to improve the physical properties of bitter elderberry (Ziziphus mauritiana L. cv. Tufahi) fruits. The study focused on increasing fruit quality as well as providing an environmentally friendly method for disease control.
Materials and Methods
The location of this study was a commercial garden of bitter elderberry located south of Nasiriyah city, Dhi Qar province, Iraq. The time of the study coincided with the growing season in 2023-2024. Six-year-old buckthorn trees naturally infected with A. alternata were used. Standard mycological techniques were used to isolate and identify pathogens from infected fruits. In vitro antagonism tests were conducted on potato dextrose agar (PDA) to assess the inhibitory effect of T. viride against A. alternata. Then assess the Atonic effect on the growth of both fungi was performed under laboratory conditions. In the field experiment, trees were treated with Atonic alone, T. viride alone, a combination of both, and an untreated control.
Results
Our laboratory results showed that T. viride has a high inhibitory effect on the growth of A. alternata. It indicates that it has high potential to act as a biological control agent. In contrast, we did not observe any direct inhibitory or stimulatory effects of Atonic on any of the fungi in vitro. These results suggest that its role is mainly physiological. Based on field results, it was found that the combined use of Atonic and T. viride was more effective than individual treatments and control. This treatment significantly increased vegetative growth, fruit length and diameter, fresh and dry fruit weight, pulp weight, seed weight, and pulp-to-seed ratio. In addition, the treated fruits showed a significant reduction in the severity and extent of A. alternata infection.
Conclusions
The results of this study showed that the interaction between Atonic and T. viride is synergistic. The physiological stimulation provided by Atonic, combined with the biocontrol and growth-promoting effects of T. viride. This resulted in improved physical fruit quality and effective suppression of A. alternata. Therefore, we can recommend this hybrid method as a safe and effective approach to improve the quality of bitter buckthorn fruit and manage fungal diseases in field conditions.
کلیدواژهها [English]