Although Fusarium is considered a root and soil pathogen, it can affect many parts of your plant as the fungal infection spreads through your plant from the roots up. The fungal root disease spreads up through the vascular system, and depending on the species of Fusarium, it can even affect the buds.
The different names for Fusarium diseases depend, in part, on the type of Fusarium species, as well as on the crop being affected, and where it is affecting.
So we have names like Vascular Wilt Fusarium, Root Rot Fusarium, or Stem Cancer Fusarium, to describe the illnesses. Therefore, in spite of Fusarium being considered a soil-borne disease, it can travel up to affect different areas of a plant. If a Fusarium attack is not caught in time, it can mean the destruction of a plantation. Not an ideal situation by far.
Though there are different ways in which Fusarium attacks and infections are being controlled—with lesser or greater success—using different biological and[1] chemical applications,[2] one stands out: Aqueous Chlorine Dioxide.
Aqueous Chlorine Dioxide and BioDox™:
BioDox is a solution in water of chlorine dioxide (also known as “aqueous chlorine dioxide”). Chlorine Dioxide is not a chlorinated chemical compound, and acts differently on pathogens than most other disinfectants. In the article: “Modelling inactivation by aqueous chlorine dioxide of Dothiorella gregaria Sacc. and Fusarium tricinctum (Corda) Sacc. spores inoculated on fresh chestnut kernel,”[3] it states that:
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a powerful sanitizer that has broad and high biocidal activity. It is more stable and has a higher oxidizing capacity than chlorine. In addition, unlike chlorine, ClO2 does not react with organic compounds to produce harmful carcinogenic by-products (Chen et al. 2011).
As Fusarium affects a wide range of plants across the world, the application of chlorine dioxide will depend on the type of plantation. However, studies like the above, published in the Applied Microbiology issue of 2011,[4] bring to the forefront the need to find new solutions to problems as widespread as Fusarium, especially since it tends to affect a wide range of crops, with not one but a whole series of diseases resulting in stunted plants and loss of crop that can be severe.
Chestnuts inoculated with D. gregaria and F. tricinctum were subsequently washed with ClO2 solutions at different concentrations (3, 5 and 7 mg l)1) with a ratio of 1 kg:5 l (Chestnut ⁄ ClO2 solution) at 22°C and withdrawn at dif- ferent times (1, 2, 5, 7, 10 and 15 min) to determine via- ble counts of spores. Our preliminary experiment indicated that ClO2 concentration was constant through- out the 15-min treatment.
In other words, the concentration of chlorine dioxide solution ranged from between 3 ppm (mg/L.) to 7 ppm (mg/L.)., ranging from 60 seconds of exposure, to 15 minutes. And the results, according to the study were “remarkable.”[5]
The treatment with 7 mg l)1 ClO2 for 15 min reduced F. tricinctum by 4-6 log cycles, while a 5-0 log reduction in D. gregaria was detected under the same treatment condition.[6]
In the case of BioDox™, the recommended application depends on if it is being used for pathogen prevention or for infection outbreak control. Please reference the chart attached for application amounts and timing for each. For prevention, less product is generally needed. It can be applied as a root drench, for soil sterilization, as a foliar spray, as well as the disinfection of surfaces, areas, and equipment. This enables the destruction of different Fusarium species, including the inactivation of spores, through the use of BioDox™.
Breaking down the Fusarium life cycle involves all of the above.
The added benefit is that BioDox™ does not produce resistant strains of any pathogens, since it kills through oxidation, rather than toxicity, and it leaves no residues in the environment.
[1] Punja, Zamir K., and Li Ni. “The Bud Rot Pathogens Infecting Cannabis ( Cannabis Sativa L., Marijuana) Inflorescences: Symptomology, Species Identification, Pathogenicity and Biological Control.” Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, vol. 43, no. 6, Nov. 2021, pp. 827–54. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/07060661.2021.1936650. “How Do You Prevent Deadly Fusarium From Infecting Cannabis?” – RQS Blog: https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-how-to-protect-your-weed-plants-from-a-fungal-fusarium-invasion-n609 “How to Prevent and Get Rid of Fusarium in Cannabis” – La Huerta: https://www.lahuertagrowshop.com/blog/en/how-to-prevent-and-get-rid-of-fusarium-in-cannabis/
[2] Korukluoglu, Mihriban, et al. “The Fungicidal Efficacy of Various Commercial Disinfectants Used in the Food Industry.” Annals of Microbiology, vol. 56, no. 4, Dec. 2006, p. 325. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03175025.
[3] “Modelling inactivation by aqueous chlorine dioxide of Dothiorella gregaria Sacc. and Fusarium tricinctum (Corda) Sacc. spores inoculated on fresh chestnut kernel.|” Z. Chen1 and C. Zhu2. College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China. College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, China. Letters in Applied Microbiology. ISSN 0266-8254.
[4] Letters in Applied Microbiology. ISSN 0266-8254.
[5] Increasing ClO2 concentration (3–7 mg l)1) and extending treatment time (1–15 min) could enhance the inactivation efficacy of ClO2 treatment on both fungal spores. Moreover, the shapes of the survival curves of the two strains were, to some extent, similar, with a remarkable initial drop in microbial counts followed by a tailing caused by the decreasing inactivation rate. “Modelling inactivation (…)”
[6] “Modelling inactivation by aqueous chlorine dioxide of Dothiorella gregaria Sacc. and Fusarium tricinctum (Corda) Sacc. spores inoculated on fresh chestnut kernel.” etters in Applied Microbiology. ISSN 0266-8254.
