Susceptibility of white button mushroom (agaricus bisporus lange) and its pathogens verticillium fungicola (preuss) hassebrauk and mycogone perniciosa (magnus) delacr. to fungicides

The isolates of two mycopathogenic fungi Verticillium fungicola and Mycogone perniciosa, and a commercial isolate of white button mushroom Agaricus bisporus were tested for sensitivity to prochloraz, benomyl, and iprodione in vitro. The pathogens were isolated from the diseased mushrooms originating from mushroom farms in Vracevsnica (Gornji Milanovac) and Pozarevac in Serbia. Prochloraz and iprodione were highly toxic to both M. perniciosa and V. fungicola. The isolate of M. perniciosa was also very sensitive to benomyl, whereas the toxicity of benomyl to V.fungicola was extremely low. Among the fungicides investigated, iprodion was the most toxic and benomyl the least toxic to the isolate of white button mushroom. Chemical control of both dry and wet bubble is possible by prochloraz and iprodione. Moreover, successful control of wet bubble causal agent can be obtained by benomyl as well, due to high toxicity of this fungicide to the pathogen and low toxicity to white button mushroom. In addition, use of benomyl alternating prochloraz provides resistance management strategy providing that a given farm is free of V.fungicola population.