Effect of nitrogen types and the electrical conductivity of a nutrient solution on gray mold caused Botrytis cinerea on strawberry plants

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea on strawberry plants is an economically significant disease in Korea. The rates for diseased fruits are high during the strawberry harvesting period from December to February, especially in hydroponic cultivation. This study assessed the effect of the nitrogen type in the soil culture and the electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution in a hydroponic culture on the gray mold incidence in 'Seolhyang' strawberry plants. The nitrogen sources assayed included calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (CN4), calcium nitrate decahydrate (CN10), ammonium sulfate (AS), and commercial fertilizer 213 (213). The effect of the EC was tested at 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, and $1.5dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. The occurrence of gray mold varied according to the nitrogen type. The disease incidence and nitrogen content for the main nitrogen type were higher compared to the non-treated control. The AS treatment showed the highest occurrence of tipburn and gray mold. The incidence of gray mold as well as the nitrogen and phosphorus content of the leaves increased as the EC level was increased. These results indicate that the incidence of gray mold in strawberry plants is related to the nitrogen content of the leaf and the EC of the nutrient solution.