Efficacy of Fungicides in Controlling Pythium Aphanidermatum Pathogenic of Root and Stem Rot and Their Impact on Plant Health and Productivity

Pythium aphaneidermatium is one of the most destructive fungi to agricultural products, as it is a soil fungus that causes serious diseases that affect seedlings, such as root rot and seedling death, leading to huge losses in many plant families. Due to the great importance of this fungus and its negative impact on crops, the effect of a group of fungicides, both systemic and non-systemic, on its growth and control was evaluated in this study. The fungicides used in the study included: Propiconazole, Hexaconazole, Carbendazim, Mancozeb, Chlorothalonil, and Captan, where different concentrations of each fungicide were prepared, including (0, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 ppm). All fungicides showed high efficacy at a concentration of 1000 ppm, while the levels of effect varied at other concentrations, indicating the difference in the degree of sensitivity of the fungus to each fungicide and its concentration used. Despite the environmental and health damages that may result from the use of fungicides, the need to use them is still very necessary to protect agricultural crops from pathogens and reduce the economic losses in agricultural production. Therefore, it is important to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of these fungicides and study their residual effects to ensure a balance between effective control and environmental and health safety.