Integrated Management of Okra Root Rot Disease Caused by the Fungus Rhizoctonia solani

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the biological pesticide NOVO TREAT, the biological control agent Trichoderma harzianum, and the chemical fungicide Metalaxyl, in addition to the two control treatments, infected and non-infected, in controlling the okra root rot disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The study showed that the biological pesticide NOVO TREAT was the best in inhibiting the growth of the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. This is due to the active ingredients in the biological pesticide, which are responsible for the induction of plant resistance against the pathogenic fungus. This led to the improvement of plant growth in all the studied plant vegetative and root parts by stimulating plant growth, improving the quality of plant yield, and productivity. In addition, the treatment led to the improvement of the quality of the plant’s environment and the development of plant immunity against pathogenic agents by activating plant defense mechanisms. The biological pesticide NOVO TREAT was highly efficient in improving plant growth in terms of plant height, leaf length, and leaf width. Plant height increased to 34.344 cm, leaf length increased to 12.855 cm, and leaf width increased to 11.222 cm. There was a significant increase in the amount of chlorophyll in the plant in comparison to the non-infected control treatment, in which the plant’s height was 6.833 cm, the plant’s leaf length was 5.966 cm, and the amount of chlorophyll in the plant was 2.524 SPAD. The biological pesticide NOVO TREAT played an effective role in the induction of plant resistance against the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, resulting in the improvement of plant growth in several ways. The biological control agent Trichoderma harzianum was the second treatment in inhibiting the growth of the fungus Rhizoctonia solani in the plant, resulting in the improvement of plant growth in terms of plant height, which reached 28.633 cm, and plant leaf length, which reached 11.266 cm. The chemical fungicide Metalaxyl was the third treatment in improving plant growth in terms of plant vegetative and root parts, while the infected control treatment showed the least significant values among the treatments.