Baseline Sensitivity and Control Efficacy of Various Group of Fungicides against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Oilseed Rape Cultivation

Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a devastating disease of oilseed rape that may cause significant yield losses if not controlled by cultural management strategies and fungicide applications. Studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different group of fungicides as well as a biopesticide, including azoxystrobin, boscalid, fludioxonil, prothioconazole, tebuconazole, azoxystrobin/tebuconazole, boscalid/pyraclostrobin, prothioconazole/fluopyram and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, on baseline sensitivity of S. sclerotiorum isolates under in-vitro conditions as well as control of SSR in the field. Artificial inoculation and mist irrigation prompt to reproducible SSR infection in oilseed rape cultivation. All compounds significantly reduced 36.7% to 86.9% SSR severity and increased 55.2% to 98.7% yield, 1.5% to 7.0% thousand grain-weight, 1.5% to 5.9% oil and 0.1% to 1.3% protein content. Fludioxonil, boscalid/pyraclostrobin and fluopyram/prothioconazole achieved strongest fungicidal activity against SSR. The biopesticide provided 36% of disease control. Under in vitro conditions, B. amyloliquefaciens not only strongly inhibited mycelial growth but also the formation of sclerotia in all concentrations. Boscalid and fludioxonil exhibited the highest level of fungicidal activity against S. sclerotiorum, with mean EC50 values of 1.23 and 1.60 μg a.s. mL−1. The highest variability of EC50 values between isolates was observed towards prothioconazole and azoxystrobin.