Fungicide sensitivity of Trichoderma spp. from Agaricus bisporus farms in Serbia

Abstract

Trichoderma species, the causal agents of green mould disease, induce great losses in Agaricus bisporus farms. Fungicides are widely used to control mushroom diseases although green mould control is encumbered with difficulties. The aims of this study were, therefore, to research in vitro toxicity of several commercial fungicides to Trichoderma isolates originating from Serbian and Bosnia-Herzegovina farms, and to evaluate the effects of pH and light on their growth. The majority of isolates demonstrated optimal growth at pH 5.0, and the rest at pH 6.0. A few isolates also grew well at pH 7. The weakest mycelial growth was noted at pH 8.0–9.0. Generally, light had an inhibitory effect on the growth of tested isolates. The isolates showed the highest susceptibility to chlorothalonil and carbendazim (ED₅₀ less than 1 mg L⁻¹), and were less sensitive to iprodione (ED₅₀ ranged 0.84–6.72 mg L⁻¹), weakly resistant to thiophanate-methyl (ED₅₀ = 3.75–24.13 mg L⁻¹), and resistant to trifloxystrobin (ED₅₀ = 10.25–178.23 mg L⁻¹). Considering the toxicity of fungicides to A. bisporus, carbendazim showed the best selective toxicity (0.02), iprodione and chlorothalonil moderate (0.16), and thiophanate-methyl the lowest (1.24), while trifloxystrobin toxicity to A. bisporus was not tested because of its inefficiency against Trichoderma isolates.

Keywords:

• Green mould disease
• antifungal activity
• cultivated mushroom

Funding

This study was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, projects TR 31043 and ON 173032.