Potassium silicate treatment enhances natural disease resistance in <i>Capsicum annuum</i> L. and reduces anthracnose disease development
The study investigated the possibility of enhancing natural disease resistance (NDR) of chili (<em>Capsicum annuum</em> L.), cvs. HYW and CA8, against anthracnose disease, using potassium silicate (Kasil®) as a soil drench or postharvest spray treatment. Anthracnose disease in chili, in...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Ceylon Journal of Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cjs.sljol.info/articles/7649 |
| Summary: | The study investigated the possibility of enhancing natural disease resistance (NDR) of chili (<em>Capsicum annuum</em> L.), cvs. HYW and CA8, against anthracnose disease, using potassium silicate (Kasil®) as a soil drench or postharvest spray treatment. Anthracnose disease in chili, in this study, was shown to be caused by <em>Colletotrichum acutatum</em>. Potassium silicate (Kasil®), applied as a postharvest spray to the fruit of either cultivar, at 100, 200 and 400 mg/l, reduced anthracnose development significantly (<em>p</em> = 0.05) when the fruits were challenge-inoculated 3 days after treatment. Treatment was slightly more effective at 200 mg/l. There was 100% of reduction of anthracnose in treated fruits of cv. CA-8 throughout an 8th day period of storage following fruit inoculation. In the cv. HYW, the same treatment showed 100% disease reduction only initially, 4 days after inoculation. The treatment was also applied as a pre-harvest soil drench commencing from flower initiation, at 200 mg/l, weekly for 4 weeks. The treatment reduced anthracnose disease significantly (<em>p</em> = 0.05) in harvested fruits, challenge-inoculated with <em>C. acutatum</em>. Spore germination assay revealed that potassium silicate had no antifungal effect to <em>C. acutatum</em>. Potassium silicate (Kasil®)-treated fruits, inoculated with <em>C. acutatum</em> after harvest, showed greater accumulation of phytoalexins and increased level of β-1, 3-glucanase in fruit tissue. |
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| ISSN: | 2513-2814 2513-230X |