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The journal AGRICULTURA (A) publishes scientific works from the following fields: animal science, plant production, farm mechanisation, land management, agricultural economics, ecology, biotechnology, microbiology
ISSN 1581-5439
Home Issues Issue 14 Comparison of efficacy of contact and systemic acting copper formulations for control of apple scab (Venturia inaequalis Cooke)

Comparison of efficacy of contact and systemic acting copper formulations for control of apple scab (Venturia inaequalis Cooke)

Vili KURNIK, Vesna GABERŠEK, Mario LEŠNIK, Marjana KURNIK

pp. 23-30

A three-year trial was carried out in an apple plantation to compare the efficacy of several contact or systemic acting copper formulations for apple scab control (Venturia inaequalis Cooke ). The tested formulations were based on copper-calcium oxychloride, copper sulphate and complexes or chelates of them with amino acids, peptides, EDTA, urea, octanoic and gluconic acid. Formulations based on Cu-oxychloride and Cu-sulphate were considered as contact acting trial standard fungicides. Other tested formulations had a partially systemic activity. Formulations were applied as foliar sprays (250 l/ha) preventively 12 to 18 times a season to apple trees of seven cultivars (Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Idared, Braeburn, Jonagold and Elstar) at the rate of 200 g of pure copper ions per hectare per individual application. The efficacy for scab control was assessed by standard methods (visual scoring of the diseased leaf and fruit surface area and efficacy calculation according to the Abbot formula). The goal was to determine whether the selected recently developed systemic acting copper formulations can provide a higher level of biological efficacy to control apple scab than the traditional contact acting copper fungicides. Since the results of a three-year trial were not consistent, one can not claim for sure that systemic acting copper formulations can provide a statistically significantly higher rate of apple scab control on fruits (a three-year average 90.1%) than the contact acting ones (a three-year average 88.2%). The tested copper formulations provided just a little lower level of scab control as conventional fungicides and the preparations used for apple scab control in organic production systems, therefore they may be recommended for apple scab control.

Key words: copper fungicides, copper fertilizers, apple scab, disease control

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