Efficacy of integrating biologicals with fungicides for the suppression of Fusarium wilt of cyclamen

Three series of greenhouse studies were conducted to determine if disease suppression of Fusarium wilt of cyclamen could be enhanced by integrating commercial formulations of beneficial microbes (biologicals) with registered fungicides. When biologicals were used as the first preventative treatment and inoculated a week later, there was no acceptable disease control even when plants were returned to a full conventional chemical fungicide program. However, when biologicals were applied following a fungicide treatment or tank-mixed with a fungicide, there were combinations that yielded significant reductions in the area-under-the-disease-progress-curve. These interactions were specific to certain biologicals and certain fungicides, and no pattern could be discerned from the pairings except that fludioxonil combined with a biological generally resulted in the greatest reductions in disease severity when compared to control treatments. The efficacy of integrating biologicals with fungicides has potential, but more studies are required to identify specific combinations between biologicals and fungicides that improve plant health. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.