Assessing Systemicity of Peanut Fungicides Through Bioassay of Plant Tissues with Sclerotium rolfsii

Abstract

To better understand movement of systemic fungicides in peanut (Arachis hypogaea), three terminal, fully expanded leaves of primary lateral branches of ‘Tifrunner’ peanut were treated with prothioconazole + tebuconazole (Provost, 0.29 kg a.i./ha), azoxystrobin (Abound, 0.31 kg a.i./ha), or flutolanil (Moncut, 0.79 kg a.i./ha) in field experiments. Basipetal leaves and pods on the same branch with the treated leaves were sequentially numbered from 1 to 3, with 1 being closest to treated foliage. These nontreated tissues, with newly formed terminal leaves, were sampled 4, 8, and 12 days after treatment for bioassay with Sclerotium rolfsii. All fungicides protected new acropetal leaves while prothioconazole + tebuconazole also provided some inhibition of S. rolfsii in nontreated basipetal leaves but no fungicide protected pods. In the greenhouse, applications of prothioconazole + tebuconazole or prothioconazole (Proline, 0.18 kg a.i./ha) to main stems of ‘Georgia Green’ provided some protection to leaves from nontreated cotyledonary branches sampled 14 days after last treatment but S. rolfsii was not inhibited on nontreated roots, stems, or pods. The results demonstrate acropetal protection by all fungicides evaluated, and indicate that prothioconazole + tebuconazole or prothioconazole applied to foliage can sometimes reduce diseases in the lower, nontreated portions of the plant.