The efficiency of mineral compounds for the control of strawberry blossom blight caused by Botrytis cinerea.

Blossom blight is the most destructive strawberry disease worldwide. Minerals play a significant role in the control of plant diseases. The antimicrobial effects of salt solutions have been widely documented for the management of various plant diseases. This study aims to evaluate the impact of mineral compounds on strawberry blossom blight caused by Botrytis cinerea. Ten mineral compounds were used to evaluate the inhibition of mycelial growth, mycelium deformation, and conidia production of B. cinerea in vitro. Five mineral compounds, aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, sodium metabisulfite, borax, and potassium sulfate, were chosen based on in vitro results for further study. Linseed oil, castor oil, and three inert materials were used to formulate these minerals. The number of infected and healthy flowers was used to evaluate the efficacy of the mineral compound formulations in the control of strawberry blossom blight under greenhouse conditions. The observed efficacy was between 33%—51%. The most effective formulations of mineral compounds were aluminum chloride and aluminum sulfate formulated with castor oil by two and one parts per thousand, respectively. The results show that these two mineral compounds can be used as alternative to fungicides for the control of B. cinerea especially in organic production of strawberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]