Prescreening of Biological and Biorational Fungicides Against Common Hemp Pathogens Using In Vitro Analyses

Abstract

Upon reintroduction of hemp in 2014 and legalization in 2018, labeled pesticides have remained limited. Further, consumer demand has aimed the market toward organic or chemical-free production systems. In efforts to manage diseases and pests in fields and greenhouses, producers turn toward biological and biorational formulations. Efficacy of these fungicides against common aerial diseases of hemp is largely unpublished. Challenges of efficacy testing, however, further delay or discourage research. In this study, we evaluated screening methods against some common biological products. The aim was to test a screening model in order to examine products against fungal pathogens and to identify demonstrable differences under controlled conditions. Thus, in this study, we prescreen 11 biological and biorational fungicides against four common fungal leaf and flower pathogens using three bioassays. Confirmation that the major modes of action for these products have measurable activity against major pathogens of hemp serves as a first step toward more complex field studies.