Comparison of physical, chemical and biological methods of controlling garlic white rot

Treatment of garlic cloves with tebuconazole (at 1 ml of Folicur 25% l(-1)) achieved a significant reduction in the rate of disease progress and the f inal incidence of plant death by Sclerotium cepivorum: garlic yields were i mproved. Although soil solarization provided the best control of garlic whi te rot, bringing soil populations of S. cepivorum to negligible levels, sim ilar levels of disease control and garlic yields were achieved when tebucon azole was sprayed to stem bases of plants grown from cloves also treated wi th tebuconazole. This double treatment almost doubled the yield compared wi th untreated plants and significantly increased bulb quality under high dis ease pressure conditions. Soil solarization was also highly effective in a second consecutive crop of garlic, with significant improvements in yield a nd garlic quality. In contrast, lower levels of disease control were obtain ed when selected isolates of Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis we re applied to the soil and cloves respectively.