CONTROL OF POWDERY MILDEW IN ORGANIC GREENHOUSE MELON CULTIVATION

Organic melon cultivation is difficult mainly due to the incidence of diseases such as powdery mildew.
It is well known that disease control may be achieved by an appropriate integrated pest management, excluding synthetic pesticides.
In the present study, applications of organic bio-fertilizer, plant residual mulch and fermented garlic foliar spray solution were studied to reduce the incidence of organically soil-grown greenhouse melon (Cucumis melo L. ‘Yinfeng’) against powdery mildew.
The garlic slush was fermented with an inoculant (EM as the brand) of beneficial microorganisms containing yeasts and lactobacillus.
The powdery mildew infection rate of the plants and infection degree of the leaves were recorded and analyzed.
Photosynthetic activities were analyzed from the light response curves.
Results showed that powdery mildew incidence was reduced by soil surface applications with organic bio-fertilizer and organic materials such as wheat straw, and by foliar sprays with a fermented garlic preparation.
Consequently, with these cultivation practices to control incidence of powdery mildew, photosynthetic activities and fruit yield and quality were less affected even though the disease was not completely controlled.
It is concluded that it is possible to grow melon in an organic way if the above-mentioned integrated practices are adopted.

International Symposium on High Technology for Greenhouse Systems: GreenSys2009

F.F. Qin, H.L. Xu, Q.C. Xu

botanical pesticide, EM, fertilization, garlic, melon (Cucumis melo), mulch, organic, powdery mildew

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.893.143