Potato is an important food crop produced all around the world but its susceptibility to a number of post-harvest and storage diseases, including dry rot caused by Fusarium species, has caused a noticeable yield loss. This study was conducted to examine the effect of two chemicals, thiabendazole and hydrogen peroxide on a Fusarium sp., isolated from diseased potato tubers and proved to be pathogenic. The effectiveness of the chemicals was first evaluated in vitro on potato dextrose agar plates amended with the chemicals, and then in vivo on artificially inoculated potato tubers by dipping method. Colony diameters of the pathogen on chemicals amended plates were measured and compared with those on chemicals-free PDA plates (Control) while disease incidence and disease severity were assessed for the chemicals-treated tubers in comparison with non-treated ones. The results showed successful inhibition of the pathogen growth by both chemicals in vitro at concentrations of 7.5 mg L-1 of thiabendazole in potato dextrose agar and 1:111 v/v or 9 ml of hydrogen peroxide in 1 L of medium. However, the two chemicals did not prove to successfully suppress the growth of the pathogenic Fusarium and the development of dry rot on the potato over 21 days of incubation. Further studies on method to apply the chemicals are warranted to prove the
efficacy of the two chemicals in controlling the pathogen growth and development on potato tubers
