| Abstract: | Carbendazim and thiabendazole applied to the rhizosphere of peanut plants by injection into the soil at doses of 0.1, 0.5 and 2.5 g per 1 m row, accumulated in the leaves during the first week after treatment, the concentrations being related to the doses applied. Two weeks after treatment the concentrations of both fungicides dropped sharply. During the rest of the season, whilst the concentration of carbendazim in the high-dose treatment was 0.1 mg/kg fresh weight, the concentration of thiabendazole increased from 0.1 to 2.0 mg/kg and remained at this level until harvest. At the end of the growing season treated plants were less infected with Cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora per sonata) than the untreated control, thiabendazole affording better protection than carbendazim. Plants treated with the highest dose of thiabendazole were the only ones that did not wilt, even though infected. Laboratory studies of the adsorption of these fungicides on soil revealed that carbendazim is less adsorbed and also less persistent than thiabendazole. |
