Whereas in combating this transboundary pest of potatoes, especially late blight, has made it necessary for bio control measures to be adopted more often. Among the Novobac’s products, Trianum Shield and Trichoderma harzianum are two promising products that utilise the abovementioned beneficial fungi. This informs the availability of these products to deal with matters like blight in potatoes as well as the general health status of vegetation.
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Trianum Shield
Trianum Shield is a biocontrol fungi that has the ability to act as a best fungicide for potato blight and involves the use of Trichoderma harzianum fungi capabilities. The target of this product is to provide the plants with increased resistance against several soil sickness causes such as the potato blight pathogens.
Key Features and Benefits
- Active Ingredient: Trianum Shield consists of a very effective strain of Trichoderma harzianum, the apposition of which is favorable for opposing unfriendly fungi.
- Mode of Action: Thus, Trichoderma harzianum in Trianum Shield acts through several ways:
– Competition: Thus, it grasps the places and resources necessary for the existence of pathogenic fungi and deprives them of the essentials.
– Mycoparasitism: Trichoderma harzianum is pathogenic to undesirable species of fungi, degradative to the hyphal walls and the mycelial mat biocontrol.
– Induced Resistance: Trichoderma harzianum also acts as a biocontrol agent; introduces health quell in the plant and helps the plant to fight diseases.
- Application: Trianum Shield can also be used in other ways such as in-foliar, seed, and soil treatment. This makes it possible to apply based on the requirement of the crop and its growth stage that may be needed.
- Environmental Safety: Since this biological control agent is a microbial product, it is safe in the environment and non toxic to beneficial insects, animals and humans. It creates no toxins for residues thus making it ideal especially for the IPM programs.
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Trichoderma harzianum
The Trichoderma harzianum powder is another potent biologic agent in controlling late blight of potato; this biocontrol agent can be obtained from the company’s product at Novobac. This product targets applying the useful fungus to the root area to optimize protection and growth promotion.
What and How
- Strain Selection: The Trichoderma harzianum product contains a selected strain that is very effective against a wider range of soil associated diseases.
- Root Zone Colonization: As a mycoparasite, T. harzianum is rather selective toward plant pathogenic fungi, thus, when applied to the soil, this fungus colonizes the root zone and forms the bio barrier around roots. This colonization goes a long way in earnestly confining the development and spread of destructive fungi that infects crops such as the infamous potato blight.
- Nutrient Uptake: It is noteworthy that apart from disease suppresses Trichoderma harzianum improves the nutrient uptake by the plant. It assists in the solubilisiation of required nutrients, enabling the plant root system to access it easily. Healthy plants, vigorous healthy plants with good and better yields can be potentially avoided.
- Stress Tolerance: The root and shoot growth of the plant increases when the seeds are treated by Trichoderma harzianum which also enhances the stress tolerance of the plant to factors such as drought and salinity. This is because the fungus affects the levels of plant hormones and thus increases the growth of root systems.
- Sustainable Agriculture: It is cost effective and environmentally safe since it helps to reduce the use of chemical fungicides thus promoting sustainable farming. This is inline with the current world trends as many people today go for organic farming methods and products.
3. Copper-Based Fungicides
These are characterized as being broad spectrum in their action and tend to be less toxic. Copper fungicides among others, can affect the processes that occur within the pathogens cellular structures.
4. Mancozeb
Potato blight is effectively managed by Mancozeb which is one of the most commonly used materials in potato protection. Climber can be used for multiple site fungicides because it interferes with several enzyme activities of the pathogen hence making it efficient. Similar to azoxystrobin, mancozeb is primarily applied as a protectant and has wide-spectrum effects against fungal diseases.
5. Azoxystrobin
Azoxystrobin is another strobilurin fungicide belonging to the systemic category and works against wide-spectrum foliar pathogens, such as blight in potato. This functions by suppressing the fungi’s ability to respire through mitochondria and consequently halting the development of the fungi. The protective effect of azoxystrobin is very long-lasting which is highlighted by many people.
6. Fluazinam
Among the fungicides that gained high rates among farmers, Fluazinam has no doubt achieved tremendous success as a blight protectant on potatoes. It has the ability to stop the germination process of spores and it suppresses the formation of mycelial strands. It has been recorded that Fluazinam is most effective when used preventatively with application usually being made at the start of the growing season.
7. Cymoxanil
Cymoxanil is classified as a curative fungicide used in controlling blight in potatoes. It infests the plant tissue thereby destroying the pathogen from the inside of the plant. Cymoxanil is usually applied in a tank mix with other fungicides for better results since it may not cause their death.
8. Metalaxyl
Metalaxyl is a systemic fungicide that is especially useful for tackling potato blight. The mechanism of action is based on the disruption of the biochemical processes in the pathogen’s genome, particularly during RNA synthesis. This is applied in seed treatment and foliar spray since it is an active ingredient in metalaxyl.
9. Difenoconazole
Difenoconazole is a systemic triazole fungicide belonging to the same class of chemicals as flusilazole and flusilazole-methyl used for combatting fungi interfering with sterol biosynthesis leading to disruption of the activity of cell membranes in fungi. It is effective against many fungal diseases, such as potato blight; it has systemic activity and a long active life.
10. Propamocarb
Propamocarb belongs to the systemic fungicide group and it is used for the primary and secondary protection against potato blight. It does so by inhibiting biosynthesis of components of the cell wall of the pathogen. Propamocarb is acting together with other fungicides to increase the effectiveness of the treatment.
Biological control as a component of Management Strategies
Thus, potato blight can be managed effectively when the biological control products such like Trianum Shield and Trichoderma harzicanum are used in combination with chemical fungicides. The management of both strategies is well coordinated to boost the efficiency of controlling the disease since both methods have their strengths. Farmers can use fungicides, which will offer quick results, and at the same time develop the plant defense system and soil health via biological control agents.
Thus, Trianum Shield and Trichoderma harzianum can be regarded as effective biological control of late blight of potato by Novobac. In this respect, the farmer enhances the impact of controlling diseases whenever used in the integrated pest management program, boosting the health standards of the crops without compromising on sustainable farming.