Synergistic effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens lipopeptides and mancozeb on tomato gray mold and early blight control
摘要
The global agricultural sector is undergoing a transition toward sustainable practices, with a key focus on reducing pesticide reliance. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effects of combining crude lipopeptide extracts from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain gfj-4 with mancozeb for the control of tomato gray mold and early blight. The crude lipopeptide extracts exhibited median effective concentration (EC50) values of 2390 mg L⁻1 and 110 mg L⁻1 against Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria solani, respectively, while mancozeb showed EC50 values of 15.20 mg L⁻1 and 81.26 mg L⁻1 against the same pathogens. By using the Horsfall method, the optimal toxicity ratios were achieved with lipopeptide-to-mancozeb mass ratios of 104.82:1 for B. cinerea (toxicity ratio: 1.10) and 0.34:1 for A. solani (toxicity ratio: 1.20). The Wadley method further confirmed strong synergism, with synergistic ratios (SR) of 2.77 for B. cinerea and 1.98 for A. solani. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the optimized combinations suppressed tomato fruit gray mold by 68.62% and leaf early blight by 74.29%, significantly outperforming individual applications of mancozeb or lipopeptides. Similar synergistic effects were also observed in pot trials, achieving 64.70% and 70.81% control efficacy against gray mold and early blight, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of combining lipopeptides with reduced mancozeb doses for sustainable disease management, offering a strategy to minimize chemical fungicide dependency while maintaining control efficacy.