Effect of herbicides on competitive saprophytic colonization by Macrophomina phaseolina of soybean stems

The effect of paraquat, glyphosate and sodium chlorate : sodium borate (50:50), applied at commercial rates was tested on the competitive saprophytic colonization by Macrophomina phaseolina of greenhouse and field grown soybean stems at three different growth stages in two soils. A significant difference in colonization was recorded between herbicide treatments and controls in soil with a high organic content but no significant difference in colonization was found between herbicides. The highest levels of stem colonization occurred 10 days after incubation in soil. Colonization in treated and untreated stems progressively declined at similar rates for all growth stages and in both soil types. In both soils, field stems had greater levels of colonization when sampling time and herbicide factors were excluded. The nonpersistence of M. phaseolina in stems in soil suggests that the saprophytic activity of the fungus does not effectively increase its inoculum density in soil