Effect of soil mulching with different thickness of polyethylene sheets on the incidence of strawberry root-rot and wilt diseases [electronic resource].

Includes references.

Strawberry wilt and root-rot, a complex disease, is the most destructive soil borne disease causing huge losses in the yield of many important crop. This investigation aimed to study the effect of soil solarization using polyethylene sheets with different thickness on the incidence of strawberry wilt and root-rot, growth vigour of strawberry plant, populations of soil microorganisms, and the cellulose microbes and Azotobacter. The obtained results revealed that mulching soil with 60 mm thickness polyethylene sheet significantly decreased the infection percentage and disease severity of strawberry wilt and root rot. Soil solarization decreased the frequency of fungi isolated from strawberry plants naturally infected with the strawberry wilt and root-rot.. Soil solarization with 60 mm improved the growth vigour of strawberry plants and resulted in an increase of the obtained yield as 100 fruit weight. Soil solarization significantly decreased the populations of actinomycetes, bacteria and fungi. as well as cellulose microbes and Azotobacter compared with the unmulched control.. In conclusion, Slarization is very efficient in controlling strawberry wilt and root rot and the effect of solarization on the pathogenic microoranisms in the soil increased as the thickness of polyethylene sheet decreased and vice versa.

Summary in Arabic.

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