Development of diseases on Vicia faba L. when treating seeds with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii (Metchnikoff) Sorokin

Broad beans (Vicia faba L.), as a valuable protein crop, are of great food importance. When grown in Western Siberia, they are affected by a whole range of diseases that not only reduce the quality of the product, but also cause significant crop losses. The influence of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii on the development of diseases on broad beans of the Sibirskie variety was studied. Field studies were conducted in 2019–2023 at a station located in the northern forest-steppe of the Ob region of the Novosibirsk region, using the generally accepted methods. The strain of the entomopathogenic fungus M. robertsii (P-72) was used as the object of research. The field experiment included treating the seeds of the Sibirskie variety of broad beans with a suspension of M. robertsii at a concentration of 5 × 10⁷ conidia/ml at a rate of 2.5 l per 20 kg of seeds. The studies have shown that treatment of field-grown broad bean seeds with the endophytic entomopathogenic fungus M. robertsii increases plant resistance to a range of diseases. The most pronounced annual occurrence of spotting of various etiologies (species of the genus Alternaria, Cladosporium and Fusarium, etc.) in the bean agrocenosis is from 39.2 to 100%. When using M. robertsii, a reliable reduction in the development of the disease was revealed in almost all years of observation. After treatment, the plants were less affected by root rot, fusariosis, mosaic, powdery mildew and other spotting. This effect was observed during the entire period of bean vegetation during 2019–2023 under different weather conditions, which indicates a positive phytosanitary effect and the prospect of its use as a biological control agent in the agrocenosis of agricultural crops.

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