Preventive and curative effect of difenoconazole + azoxytrobin and thiophanate-methyl against lucky bamboo anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichumdracaenophilum

In Egypt, Dracaena sanderiana (lucky bamboo) is an ornamental plant imported from several countries. Two weeks after they arrived at the nurseries, anthracnose indications were detected on the shoots of imported D. sanderiana samples. Four Colletotrichum spp. isolates were obtained from the symptomatic lucky bamboo plants. The obtained isolates belonged to the species of C. gloeosporioides or C. dracaenophilum based on their morphological characteristics and molecular biology analyses. Pathogenicity tests reveal that C. dracaenophilum isolate 4 was found to be more pathogenic than the other isolates. The in vitro investigation was conducted with the objectives of evaluating six systemic fungicides for their inhibitory effect against C. dracaenophilum. Data reveal that, thiophanate-methyl and difenoconazole + azoxytrobin at ≥15 ppm completely inhibited the pathogen growth. Tebuconazole and flusllazole inhibited growth completely at ≥20 ppm, whereas iprodione and cyprodinil + fludioxonil had a lower effect (56.6 and 54.4% reduction, respectively) at this dose. The in vivo investigation was conducted with the objectives of evaluating the preventive and curative effects of the most effective fungicides against anthracnose disease. Lucky bamboo plants were treated with fungicide and either inoculated or not with C. dracaenophilum before being left for 25 or 60 days. On both insidiously infected and vaccinated lucky bamboo plants, the combination of difenoconazole, azoxytrobin, and thiophanate-methyl at 20 ppm greatly reduced the development of anthracnose. Tebuconazole and flusllazole were found to be phytotoxic.