Abstract:
Cinnamon, a vital spice crop exported from Sri
Lanka, faces the economic threat of Rough Bark
Disease (RBD), a major biotic factor affecting
cinnamon production. In response to the
environmental and health concerns associated
with chemical pesticides, environmentally
friendly alternatives to control RBD are becoming
increasingly popular. This study compares the
effectiveness of multiple fungicide treatments and
a phytohormone in controlling RBD under field
conditions. The field experiment was based on a
factorial design and included six treatments with
ten replicates each. Both in vitro and in vivo
evaluations of the treatments were carried out,
which included tebuconazole at a concentration of
0.05% (T1), tebuconazole at a concentration of
0.1% (T2), aqueous neem extract (T3), 5 ml
salicylic acid (T4) and 1% Bordeaux mixture
included (T5) and a control group (T6). The
results showed that the most effective inhibition of
mycelial growth (100%) occurred with 1%
Bordeaux mixture treatments in in vitro
evaluations. Tebuconazole also significantly
inhibited mycelial growth at concentrations of
0.05% and 0.1%. In the field trial, which included
two application periods, no differences were
evident between the treatments with 1% Bordeaux
mixture and 0.05% or 0.1% tebuconazole in the
occurrence and severity of RBD. However,
combined in vitro and in vivo studies highlight the
superiority of the 1% Bordeaux mixture as the
most effective antifungal agent for controlling
RBD in cinnamon compared to other treatments.
