Effects of wood vinegar and vermicompost combination in the control of Verticillium dahliae the causal agent of verticillium wilt of greenhouse cucumber

Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae is an important disease of cucumber grown in greenhouses. In this study, the inhibitory effects of volatile and non-volatile metabolites of wood vinegar (Pyrolignious acid) on the mycelial growth of V..dahliae as well as the combined effects of wood vinegar and vermicompost on the control of associated disease were studied in vitro and in situ conditions. To study the effect of non-volatile and volatile metabolites, 0, 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.37%, 0.5% and 0.75% of wood vinegar were tested. Four replicates were considered for each concentration. The mycelial growth of the fungus was measured daily up to 10 days. Bothvolatile and non-volatile metabolites inhibited significantly the fungal growth in vitro conditions at 0.05 probability level. Three concentrations of wood vinegar 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5% were drenched into the soil one and 14 days post- transplanting. The effect of treatments was assessed through measurement of disease severity index, wet and dry weight of roots and shoots, as well as root length and shoot height. Disease severity was significantly reduced in all concentrations used (α= 0.05). The combination of vermicompost and vinegar reduced the pathogenicity of the pathogen and increased the weight of roots and shoots.