Factors influncing efficacy of Carbendazim injection for the control of olive wilt disease.

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the role of hydrochloric acid and the location of the points of injection upon the tree stem on the uptake of the fungicide Carbendazim by olive tree. The results have shown an interaction between the two factors when a solution with 0.1 N Hcl was injected its uptake increased at 20 cm above the ground injection point, while it decreased substantially when the injection point was at 80 cm above the ground level. The contrary occurred when a carbendazim solution with 0.05 N Hcl was used, a higher volume of the solution entered inside the tree when the injection point was at 80 cm above the ground level.
Due de the necessity of accomplishing a better translocation of the fungicide, we prefer to inject carbendazim solution with 0.05 N acid at both injection levels simultaneously. This procedure resulted in high control efficiency of the olive wilt fungus throughout the plant tissues for 24 months after injection. the pathogenic fungus was not detected 14 months after injection and the effect of carbendazim persisted inside most of the olive tree for that same period.