Effetti di Brassica carinata sul "Mal del piede" dei cereali

Foot rot and root rot complex is one of the most harmful diseases of durum wheat, in Sicily. Seedlings may be blighted and killed before or after emergence and when they survive their growth is retarded. Surviving plants are shorter, stunted and ripen prematurely with a characteristic features called "white heads". Spikes are sterile or have poorly filled kernels. Use of healthy or treated seed, crop rotations and chemicals can help to control the disease. Among environmental friendly alternative methods for disease control, interesting prospects have the use of Brassica species, due to their capability to produce isothiocyanates, substances able of carry out biofumigation activity in the soil against pathogenic fungi. This study, was conduced to evaluate the activity of two varieties of Brassica carinata, СТ 180 and Defen, grown in succession to durum wheat, against foot rot and root rot soilborne populations.