Natural , biological , and chemical management of the diseases caused by Fusarium culmorum on wheat

Abstract

Fusarium culmorum is one of the major fungal pathogens affecting durum wheat, causing significant economic losses through two main diseases: Fusarium Crown Rot (FCR) and Fusarium Head Blight (FHB). This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the bacterial strain Pseudomonas laurentiana Ps11, zinc chloride solution (ZnCl₂), and their combination against an isolate of F. culmorum (FC), as well as their potential to promote wheat plant growth. Growth chamber experiments revealed that ZnCl₂ exhibited a significant antifungal activity, while the Ps11-ZnCl₂ combination showed superior antifungal performance and significantly enhanced plant growth parameters, increasing shoot weight by 29.76%, root length by 60.41%, and root weight by 127.29% compared to the fungal treatment alone. In addition, the natural resistance of ten Algerian and Italian durum wheat cultivars was assessed, with the cultivar “MBB” showing the highest tolerance to infection. In terms of physiological effects, the FC isolate had minimal impact on grain number, only a 1% reduction, but grain weight was reduced by 24.58%, with no noticeable effect on the number of spikelets. These findings highlight the potential of the Ps11-ZnCl₂ combination and the resistant wheat varieties as a promising tool for integrated management of F. culmorum induced diseases in wheat.