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Effect of Environmental Factors and Pesticides on Mycoparasitism of Sclerotinia minor by Coniothyrium minitans

The effects of soil temperature and moisture, and nine pesticides commonly used in peanut production, on the mycoparasitic activity of Coniothyrium minitans on sclerotia of Sclerotinia minor were evaluated. In vitro mycelial growth and conidia germination of C. minitans were sensitive to azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil, fluazinam, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, and diclosulam. C. minitans survived and infected sclerotia of S. minor in the presence of azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil, diclosulam, fluazinam, flumioxazin, S-metolachlor, pendimethalin, pyraclostrobin, and tebuconazole. Mycoparasitic activity was reduced by all pesticides except S-metolachlor compared with the nontreated control. Optimum conditions for infection of sclerotia were temperatures from 14 to 22°C and soil moisture from -0.33 to -1 kPa × 10². Mycoparasitic activity of C. minitans remained high (98% sclerotia infected) at temperatures ranging from 14 to 22°C, but decreased at temperatures above 28°C. Viability of sclerotia was inversely related to the proportion infected by C. minitans (r = -0.9963, P = 0.001). Mycoparasitic activity also declined when soil moisture was greater than -1 kPa × 10² or less than -0.10 kPa × 10². These results indicate that C. minitans should not be applied when temperatures exceed 28°C, during extremes in soil moisture, or when there is a high risk of contact with pesticides before it becomes established in the soil.