Efficacy of Betel Leaf Botanical Pesticide Against Fusarium Wilt Disease (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp capsici) in Chilli Plants

Abstract

Fusarium wilt cased by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. capsici is a major and aggressive disease, responsible for significant losses of the chilli production worldwide. An environmentally friendly control alternative is needed to overcome Fusarium wilt, namely by applying botanical pesticides from betel leaves, which is expected to minimize the negative impacts of synthetic chemical pesticides. The purpose of this study were to determine the effect of betel leaves botanical pesticide concentrations on the growth of F. oxysporum f.sp. capsici and the development of Fusarium wilt disease in chilli plants. This study was conducted at the Center for Plant Pest Forecasting (BBPOPT) Karawang, West Java. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used for in vitro testing and a Randomized Block Design (RBD) for in vivo testing. Both experiments tested six concentrations: 0% (control), 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, each replicated four times. The Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was used for further testing. The results showed that the application of betel leaf botanical pesticide significantly affected to the growth of F. oxysporum f.sp. capsici, disease intensity, chilli plant height and fresh fruit weight with the 50% betel leaf botanical pesticide being the best concentration. The mechanism of betel leaf botanical pesticide inhibiting Fusarium wilt disease occurs both directly and indirectly by active compounds (phytoalexins) of betel leaves. Directly, they are able to damage the fungal cell wall and inhibit the growth of spores. Indirectly, they are able to stimulate the plant defence system through gene signalling pathways and lnRNA. The betel leaf botanical pesticides can as solution for sustainable agriculture and green development strategies, because it's capable of helping manage pest resistance and generally safe for the environment.