Alternative treatments against gray mold on pepper

Production and export of pepper has been increasing every year in our country. Gray mold disease has been causing serious yield and quality losses on greenhouse pepper production. In this study, efficiency of alternative chemicals such as calcium oxide, calcium polysulfide, microgranule sulfur and Reynoutria spp. against Gray mold disease, applied before and after pathogen inoculation, were investigated. As a result of pot trials; calcium oxide was found as the most effective chemical against Botrytis cinerea. Calcium oxide also increased height, fresh weight and stem width of pepper plants. When the amounts of total phenolics in pepper leaves were determined after chemical applications; it was found that there was increase in all applications when compared to control plants. In all applications where no pathogen inoculation was performed, the highest phenolic amounts were determined on leaf samples taken 72 hours after the applications. When chemicals were applied after pathogen inoculation, the highest amounts of phenolics were found on leaf samples taken 24 hours after chemical application with calcium oxide, microgranule sulfur and calcium polysulfide, while on samples from negative control, pathogen inoculated control, Reynoutria spp. extract and Luna applied plants, highest phenolic amounts were determined after 72 hours. As a result, it can be mentioned that applied chemicals may induce resistance mechanisms of pepper plants.