EFFICACY OF FUNGICIDES AGAINST PENICILLIUM ITALICUM CAUSING CITRUS BLUE MOLD.

Citrus is an economically important fruit crop in Pakistan; however, its productivity is affected by various insect pests and pathogens. Spores of Penicillium italicum Warmer are airborne and cause citrus blue mold disease in citrus plants. The main objective of this study was to assess the in-vitro efficacy of different concentrations of selected fungicides against P. italicum applied at different times. Before pouring, potato dextrose agar was made and modified with fungicides. For each concentration, three plates were poured. After the plates had solidified, a 5 mm mycelial plug of the fungus P. italicum was inserted in the center Five fungicides i.e., Nativo, Topsin-M, Metalaxyl+Mancozeb, Copper Oxychloride, Success were tested at three concentrations i.e., 100 ppm, 200 ppm, and 300 ppm. The findings of the study showed that Nativo was the best fungicide as the inhibition rate of P. italicum was 81.0-87.0%, after 7 days of application. The second most effective fungicide was Success, which showed 77.5-81.0% inhibition of P. italicum after 3 days and 78.0-80.0% after 7 days of application. Similarly, Topsin M showed 68.3-77.0% inhibition of P. italicum on 3 days and 77.0-81.0% on 7 days of application. Metalaxyl+Mancozeb and copper did not prove effective against P. italicum, even at higher concentrations. The higher concentration of each fungicide resulted in maximum inhibition of P. italicum. Thus, the current study suggests that Nativo, Success, and Topsin M could manage the citrus blue mold disease at the standardized concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]