'Cu-Chi-Tri', a New Generation Combination for Knowledge-Based Management of Oomycete Pathogen, Phytophthora infestans

Abstract

Globally, an estimated 35% of the potential crop is lost annually to diseases, pest and weeds, while decreases in arable land and increases in world population, global climate change and increased production of energy crops continue to enhance the pressure. Chemical plant protection is too expensive for resource poor farmers, and it is potentially unsafe to both environment and consumer. However, as an alternative to chemical plant protection, biological plant protection is less consistently reliable. Nevertheless, a combination of different strategies could make biological plant protection more reliable. The present chapter focuses on developing a novel combination product for economically viable and ecologically safe plant protection, with emphasis on devastating diseases caused by oomycete plant pathogens, particularly Phytophthora infestans, the dreaded late blight causative in potato. Late blight disease management has largely relied on the use of chemical fungicides, with the abovementioned problems and the added threat of the development of chemical resistant strains of the pathogen. Therefore, the need of alternative approaches for late blight management without compromising benefits as attained by the use of chemicals has been variously flagged. To this end, a new generation fungicide involving a low-dose fungicide (Cu(OH)2), a biocontrol agent (Trichoderma) and a plant defence activator (chitosan) has been developed and tested under field conditions for the management of potato late blight. The ‘triple combination’ evokes newer avenues of application of biocontrol agents for safer and sustainable management of oomycete plant pathogens.