Inclusion of plant immunity inducers in the fruit crops protection system for the purpose of reducing the pesticide load

Abstract

Abstract One of the new environmentally friendly areas of plant protection is the use of natural protective mechanisms in protection against phytopathogens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of plant immunity inducers of various chemical nature (poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid, arachidonic acid ethyl ester and chitosan lactate) when included in peach and apple protection systems against diseases dominating in the region of wet subtopics of Russia and Abkhazia (leaf curl and scab, respectively). Studies on peach against leaf curl were conducted on the variety ‘Redhaven’ (Sochi, Russia) in 2014-2016, and on the apple tree against scab on the variety ‘Golden Rangers’ (Gulripshi district, Abkhazia) in 2016-2019. The standard was the peach and apple tree chemical protection system adopted in the region. We studied the effectiveness of tank mixtures of plant immunity inducers (Albit®, Immunocytophite®, Ecogel®) with half dosages of pesticides used in the standard. The biological effectiveness of all mixtures with plant immunity inducers on peach exceeded the standard, and on the apple tree was at the standard level. The best results were obtained in variants with Ecogel® and Albit®. In variants with plant immunity inducers crop yields were 23-60% higher than in the control.