The onion basal rot disease is a worldwide threat caused by species of the genus Fusarium. Today, Israel's control of this disease is limited to a four-year growth cycle and Metam sodium soil disinfection. Here, commercial chemical fungicides were evaluated as control treatments against two of the primary pathogens involved, F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae and F. Acutatum. Out of 10 fungicides tested on culture plates, 3, Prochloraz, Azoxystrobin + Tebuconazole, and Fludioxonil + Sedaxen, had strong inhibitory effects on mycelial growth and were selected and tested in seeds in vitro. The preparations were applied as a seed coating and tested in two commercial cultivars, Riverside (Orlando, white cv.) and Noam (red cv.). Prochloraz (0.3% w/w concentration), the most promising compound, was efficient in reducing the Noam cv. sprouts' disease symptoms. This preparation had no harmful in situ-toxicity effect and did not influence the plants' seed germination and early development. In Noam cv. potted 30-day-old sprouts, the Prochloraz treatment was able to reduce the harmful impact of F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae. on the seedlings' wet biomass, but was not effective in the Riverside cv. or against the F. acutatum pathogen. This suggests that future protective strategies must include an effective protective suit tailored to each of the pathogen species involved and the onion cultivar. The methods presented in this work can be applied for rapidly scanning multiple compounds while gradually ruling out ineffective ones. Eventually, this screening will enable field testing of the highest potential fungicides that successfully pass the pot experiments.
Keywords: Allium cepa; Fusarium; Prochloraz; basal rot; chemical control; fungus; onion; pathogenicity assay; seed infection.