Effect of Potassium Phosphonate on the Control of Phytophthora Root Rot of Lettuce in Hydroponics

The effect of potassium phosphonate ($KH_2PO_3 or $K_2 HPO_3$) on the control of Phytophthora root rot of lettuce was evaluated in a liquid hydroponic culture. Phosphonate 100 ppm strongly inhibited mycelial growth of Phytophthora species in vitro but did not affect normal growth of lettuce in a greenhouse test. Application of the chemical before infection showed over 94% control value, while it was less than 35% when applied after infection. In a field trial, phosphonate 100 ppm, which was directly supplemented into the nutrient solution, satisfactorily controlled the disease as it did not develop until 28 days after transplanting and remained at less than 2% infection rate at the end of cultivation. Meanwhile, in the control plot, the disease initiated at 7 days after transplanting and developed rapidly reaching over 70% infection rate at 28 days. Population density of the causal pathogen, R drechsleri, in a heavily infested farm was 22.0-25.0 cfu/100 ml of nutrient solution. However, it decreased to 1.3-2.0 cfu/100 ml at 7 days after treatment with phosphonate 200 ppm.