Fruit rot (Botrytis) is a big problem in the cultivation of strawberry. At the moment growers perform biological and chemical sprayings during flowering period to control this disease. UV-C light could be a good alternative for this sprayings. During an autumn cultivation at Research Centre Hoogstraten we investigated the effect of UV-C on Botrytis (and powdery mildew). We compared different frequencies (3/week and 5/week) and doses (90-135-180 J/m2) with an untreated control and a conventional IPM strategy. UV-C application is performed after sunset.
No clear effect of UV-C light is seen on prevention of Botrytis infections in our trial. But a clear effect is seen on the occurrence of powdery mildew infections. All doses and frequencies of UV-C were able to control powdery mildew with a comparable or even better efficacy as the IPM strategy.
