Soft Fungicides for the Control of Botrytis Cinerea in Vitro and in Vivo on Kiwifruit

Three soft fungicides were evaluated for the control of Botrytis cinerea on kiwifruit in laboratory and field experiments. Four isolates of B. cinerea were tested against two standard fungicides (carbendazim and sulphur) and three products: Mycosin (Schaette) and Mycosan (Schaette), commercially available BIOGRO certified fungicides based on diatomaceous earth, and chitosan (Sigma), derived from chitin (arthropod exoskeletons). Mycosin and Mycosan had good efficacy against B. cinerea in in vitro experiments, but failed to significantly reduce disease incidence in vivo. Chitosan showed limited efficacy against B. cinerea in in vitro experiments and had no significant effect in vivo.