Comparative Effectiveness of Organic, Biological, and Chemical Methods for Managing White Rot in Garlic (Allium sativum L. (

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Pathology Dept., Fac. of Agric., Ain Shams University, Egypt.

2 Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Egypt

Abstract

White rot disease, caused by Sclerotium cepivorum, severely affects garlic yields in Egypt. Aim of study assessed 27 fungal isolates from various Egyptian governorates, revealing pathogenicity variability with disease severity from 28.60% (Qalyubia) to 82.47% (Sharqia). Greenhouse tests showed all treatments reduced disease severity. In Balady, bougainvillea extract and Folicure had the lowest severity (36.00%, 59.09% efficacy), while Bacillus thuringiensis and salicylic acid significantly enhanced plant weight (8.6–8.63 g; >128% increase) and bulb diameter (up to 2.03 cm; 84.55% increase). In Sids-40 cultivar, Folicure (24.00%, 66.67% efficacy) and bougainvillea extract (28.00%, 61.11%) were most effective, and KH₂PO₄ improved plant weight (16.5–17.5 g; ~98-110% increase) and bulb diameter (up to 2.87 cm; 125.98% increase).Notably, Balady cultivar showed higher average disease severity (45.93%) than Sids-40 (41.19%), with Sids-40 exhibiting superior growth, including greater height (42.37 vs. 40.26 cm), fresh weight (14.31 vs. 7.3 g), and bulb diameter (2.69 vs. 1.80 cm). Field trials confirmed these findings; untreated controls had 65.2% disease severity and 3.1 kg/plot yield. Folicure reduced severity (19.5%, 70.1% efficacy), while KH₂PO₄ and salicylic acid led to significant yield increases (11.9 and 11.1 kg/plot; up to 280.2–253.7% increase). Overall, KH₂PO₄, salicylic acid, and selected biocontrol agents effectively suppressed white rot and enhanced garlic growth, suggesting a sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides

Keywords

Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology
Volume 16, Issue 9
September 2025
Pages 449-462

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