Biocontrol of Potato White Mold Using Coniothyrium minitans and Resistance of Potato Cultivars to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

This study was conducted in Bahar and Lalehjin, Hamadan, Iran to assess the biocontrol efficacy of Coniothyrium minitans Campbell against potato white mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary under field and greenhouse conditions. In addition, the resistance of common potato cultivars against S. sclerotiorum was determined in a greenhouse experiment. After straw inoculation of six potato cultivars (Pashandi, Istambouli, Agria, Marfauna, Alpha and Spartaan) with S. sclerotiorum, the least disease severity was observed in Spartaan and Marfauna. Agria showed the most susceptibility to S. sclerotiorum. Compared with the healthy control, different concentrations of C. minitans conidia (10(7) 10(8) and 10(9) conidia/mL) reduced disease severity under greenhouse condition, and a concentration 10(9) was the most effective treatment. During 2008 and 2009, four field trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of C. minitans in different soil and aerial applications on disease incidence of potato white mold. In 2008, soil application of Contans (R) WG (a commercial product of C. minitans) showed the greatest biocontrol capacity whereas soil application of solid-substrate C. minitans was found inferior when compared with other treatments in both Bahar and Lalehjin field sites. In 2009, benomyl application was the most effective treatment in reducing disease incidence in both tested field sites.