Fungicidal suppression of symptomless latent infections ofMonilinia fructicolain European plums

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Abstract
European plums (Prunus domestica “Stanley”) with a high incidence of symptomless latent infections of Monilinia fructicola, were harvested soft-ripe or firm-ripe, surface disinfested in NaOCl, soaked for 4 min in fungicide suspensions at 20°C and incubated for 7-11 days at >95% RH at 20°C. Using soft-ripe fruits, all 12 fungicides reduced brown rot relative to the water check after 7 days incubation, with tebuconazole and flusilazole being numerically superior. Using firm-ripe fruits, five sterol-inhibiting fungicides and iprodione reduced brown rot infections after 7 days incubation, with tebuconazole, flusilazole and myclobutanil being numerically superior. Fruits were soaked for 4 min in suspensions of tebuconazole and flusilazole at 33, 67, and 100 mg a.i./L, and incubated for 7-8 days. Treatments were moderately effective with no rate response except for soft-ripe plums soaked in flusilazole. Five sterol-inhibiting fungicides were applied twice at mid-season to Stanley trees having fruits with a high incidence of latent infection. Only tebuconazole gave temporary suppression of M. fructicola in excised immature fruits. During postharvest incubation of mature fruits, only those sprayed with tebuconazole, flusilazole, and fenbuconazole, showed a reduction in brown rot, to 45-65% from 89% in the water check. This limited response was attributed to poor adhesion of droplets of fungicide suspensions to the waxy fruit surface at the time of application.

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