Associate Professor Virginia State University Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Abstract Text: The demand for ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) continues to grow due to its culinary, medicinal and beverage applications. However, production is hindered by seed-piece and soil-borne diseases (SSDs) including yellows and rhizome rots caused by plant pathogens. SSDs are exacerbated by the vegetative propagation of rhizomes, which limits genetic resistance options. This study evaluated the efficacy of chitosan (1 or 5 g/L) and two bioproducts (Trichoderma- and Streptomyces-based) alone or combined with a post planting drench of the two chitosan rates compared to a non-treated control. Seven total treatments were applied to three cultivars (Chinese, Yellow, Peruvian Yellow) with three replications each. Plants were grown in 10-lb grow-bags inside a 30 x 48 ft high tunnel equipped with fans and vents. Three-month-old transplants were inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. zingiberi and treated 12 hours later. Treated plants showed improved growth, reduced foliar disease severity (FDS) and higher yield than the non-treated control (CK) based on results from the 2024 trial. Chitosan, particularly with the higher rate and when followed by post-planting drenches with bioproducts significantly reduced FDS compared to CK. Notably, the non-treated Chinese cultivar exhibited significantly the highest FDS compared to the other two cultivars. These findings support integration of chitosan and biocontrol agents as promising strategy to manage SSDs in ginger. The approach offers potential for enhancing transplant health while reducing pathogen pressure in ginger propagation systems.
