Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers

Botrytis cinerea is one of the problematic and notorious postharvest pathogens of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) cut flowers. It causes flower blight, leaf blight, and stem rot, reducing the ornamental value (such as longevity, color, and texture) of flowers, ultimately making them unsala...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ravi Bika, Cristi Palmer, Lisa Alexander, Fulya Baysal-Gurel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) 2020-10-01
Series:HortTechnology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/30/6/article-p659.xml
_version_ 1819074727451295744
author Ravi Bika
Cristi Palmer
Lisa Alexander
Fulya Baysal-Gurel
author_facet Ravi Bika
Cristi Palmer
Lisa Alexander
Fulya Baysal-Gurel
author_sort Ravi Bika
collection DOAJ
description Botrytis cinerea is one of the problematic and notorious postharvest pathogens of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) cut flowers. It causes flower blight, leaf blight, and stem rot, reducing the ornamental value (such as longevity, color, and texture) of flowers, ultimately making them unsalable. The objective of this study was to identify effective conventional fungicides and biorational products for botrytis blight management on bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers that can be easily and readily adopted by growers of ornamentals. Preventive preharvest whole-plant spray and postharvest dip treatment applications were used in this study. For the whole-plant spray applications, bigleaf hydrangea plants were sprayed with treatment solution 3 days before harvesting flowers. For the dip applications, cut flowers were dipped in treatment solutions after harvest. For both application types, flowers were inoculated with B. cinerea spores once treatment solutions dried. Flowers were stored in cold storage for 3 days and then displayed in conditions similar to retail stores. Botrytis blight disease severity, marketability of flower (postharvest vase life), phytotoxicity, and application residue were assessed in the study. Treatments showed variable efficacy in managing postharvest B. cinerea infection in bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers. Preventive preharvest whole-plant spray and postharvest dip applications of isofetamid and fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin significantly reduced the postharvest botrytis blight disease severity and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) compared with the positive control (nontreated, inoculated with B. cinerea). When applied as a postharvest dip, the fungicide fludioxonil and biofungicide Aureobasidium pullulans strains DSM 14940 and DSM 14941 effectively lowered the disease severity and disease progress (AUDPC). These effective treatments also maintained a significantly longer postharvest vase life of bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers compared with the nontreated, inoculated control. The longer vase life may be attributed to lowered botrytis blight disease severity and the resultant proper physiological functioning of flowers.
first_indexed 2024-12-21T18:14:07Z
format Article
id doaj.art-9b3beda32f824892ad0c631bc8e951fd
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1943-7714
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T18:14:07Z
publishDate 2020-10-01
publisher American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)
record_format Article
series HortTechnology
spelling doaj.art-9b3beda32f824892ad0c631bc8e951fd2022-12-21T18:54:42ZengAmerican Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)HortTechnology1943-77142020-10-01306659669https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04656-20Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut FlowersRavi BikaCristi PalmerLisa AlexanderFulya Baysal-Gurel Botrytis cinerea is one of the problematic and notorious postharvest pathogens of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) cut flowers. It causes flower blight, leaf blight, and stem rot, reducing the ornamental value (such as longevity, color, and texture) of flowers, ultimately making them unsalable. The objective of this study was to identify effective conventional fungicides and biorational products for botrytis blight management on bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers that can be easily and readily adopted by growers of ornamentals. Preventive preharvest whole-plant spray and postharvest dip treatment applications were used in this study. For the whole-plant spray applications, bigleaf hydrangea plants were sprayed with treatment solution 3 days before harvesting flowers. For the dip applications, cut flowers were dipped in treatment solutions after harvest. For both application types, flowers were inoculated with B. cinerea spores once treatment solutions dried. Flowers were stored in cold storage for 3 days and then displayed in conditions similar to retail stores. Botrytis blight disease severity, marketability of flower (postharvest vase life), phytotoxicity, and application residue were assessed in the study. Treatments showed variable efficacy in managing postharvest B. cinerea infection in bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers. Preventive preharvest whole-plant spray and postharvest dip applications of isofetamid and fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin significantly reduced the postharvest botrytis blight disease severity and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) compared with the positive control (nontreated, inoculated with B. cinerea). When applied as a postharvest dip, the fungicide fludioxonil and biofungicide Aureobasidium pullulans strains DSM 14940 and DSM 14941 effectively lowered the disease severity and disease progress (AUDPC). These effective treatments also maintained a significantly longer postharvest vase life of bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers compared with the nontreated, inoculated control. The longer vase life may be attributed to lowered botrytis blight disease severity and the resultant proper physiological functioning of flowers.https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/30/6/article-p659.xmlbotrytis cinereacut flowersdisease managementhydrangea macrophyllapostharvest vase life
spellingShingle Ravi Bika
Cristi Palmer
Lisa Alexander
Fulya Baysal-Gurel
Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers
HortTechnology
botrytis cinerea
cut flowers
disease management
hydrangea macrophylla
postharvest vase life
title Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers
title_full Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers
title_fullStr Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers
title_full_unstemmed Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers
title_short Comparative Performance of Reduced-risk Fungicides and Biorational Products in Management of Postharvest Botrytis Blight on Bigleaf Hydrangea Cut Flowers
title_sort comparative performance of reduced risk fungicides and biorational products in management of postharvest botrytis blight on bigleaf hydrangea cut flowers
topic botrytis cinerea
cut flowers
disease management
hydrangea macrophylla
postharvest vase life
url https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/30/6/article-p659.xml
work_keys_str_mv AT ravibika comparativeperformanceofreducedriskfungicidesandbiorationalproductsinmanagementofpostharvestbotrytisblightonbigleafhydrangeacutflowers
AT cristipalmer comparativeperformanceofreducedriskfungicidesandbiorationalproductsinmanagementofpostharvestbotrytisblightonbigleafhydrangeacutflowers
AT lisaalexander comparativeperformanceofreducedriskfungicidesandbiorationalproductsinmanagementofpostharvestbotrytisblightonbigleafhydrangeacutflowers
AT fulyabaysalgurel comparativeperformanceofreducedriskfungicidesandbiorationalproductsinmanagementofpostharvestbotrytisblightonbigleafhydrangeacutflowers