EFFECT OF DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF BEESWAX IN RESISTANCE TO GREEN MOLD DISEASE ON ORANGE CAUSED BY PENICILLIUM DIGITATIUM UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

Abstract

A laboratorial experiment was conducted to study the effect of beeswax on growth of P. digitatium fungus on the local orange fruit. The layout of the experiment was the randomized complete block designs (RCBD) with three replicates under laboratory conditions in the plant pathology laboratory of the plant protection department, College of Agriculture, Anbar University. The fungus was obtained and isolated from affected fruits. The samples collected randomly from different areas in Alanbar province (Ramadi, Fulloja, Heet and Al-Amerea). Different concentrations (4, 8, 12 and 16 gm.L-1) of wax were used and applied in three ways as follows: B1(Beeswax treatment + polluting of suspension with fungus after one day of beeswax treatment), B2 (Beeswax treatment + polluting of suspension with fungus after one day of beeswax treatment + beeswax treatment after two days of pollution) and B3 (polluting of suspension with fungus + beeswax treatment after two days of pollution). Diametrical growth of disease spot was measured in three periods 7, 14 and 21 days after treatment. The results showed significant effect of both concentration 12 and 16 gm.L-1 in reducing the mean of the diametrical growth of disease spots for all periods compared to the control that polluted with fungus. Results also showed that B2 was superior compared to B1 and B3, where significantly reduced the diametrical growth of disease spot by 0.15, 0.4, 0.97 cm for all periods, respectively. The other two treatments had a significant effect compared with control treatment that polluted with P. digitatium only.