In vitro efficacy of chitosan gel combined with organic and inorganic inhibitors against Rhizoctonia solani

Karam S. Baraa, Awf A. Ahmed Al-Jbory, Waleed Khalid Ahmed

Abstract


Rhizoctonia solani is an important soil-borne pathogen causing severe root and stem diseases in numerous crops, necessitating the evaluation of effective antifungal treatments. The present study evaluated the in vitro efficacy of selected fungicides, chemical elements, organic compounds, chitosan, and chitosan microgel-based combinations against R. solani. Among the fungicides, Moncut showed the highest inhibition, with 1.41% and 2.86% inhibition at 0.05% and 0.10%, respectively, followed by Beltanol (0 and 0.73%) and Topsin (3.58 and 4.75%). Among the chemical elements, boron was the most effective, producing radial colony diameters of 1.30, 2.46, and 3.66 cm at 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15%, respectively, whereas zinc was least effective, with inhibition of 2.80%, 4.13%, and 5.70% at 0.05%, 0.10%, and 1.0%, respectively. Organic copper completely inhibited fungal growth at all tested concentrations, while biochar and humic acid produced maximum inhibitions of 6.20% and 4.13%, respectively. Chitosan inhibited fungal growth in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing radial growth to 5.50, 4.36, and 1.96 cm at 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15%, respectively, compared with 9.0 cm in the untreated control. The chitosan microgel combinations exhibited markedly greater inhibition than the individual treatments. Chitosan microgel combined with Beltanol and copper completely inhibited fungal growth, while the chitosan microgel + boron treatment restricted radial growth to 0.66 cm. Overall, chitosan microgel, particularly in combination with selected chemicals or organic treatments, demonstrated promising in vitro antifungal activity against R. solani. Further greenhouse and field studies are recommended to validate their efficacy and determine appropriate application rates and treatment combinations.


Keywords


Rhizoctonia solani, Chitosan gel, Antifungal activity, Organic inhibitors, Inorganic inhibitors

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33804/pp.010.05.6176

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