W. Copes, P. Ojiambo
Dec 28, 2020
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Quality indicators
Journal
Phytopathology
Abstract
Hypochlorite is often used as a disinfestant of fungal pathogens in agricultural and horticultural settings. However, reports of its effectiveness are variable across studies. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy of hypochlorite against fungal pathogens and explore factors that explain the heterogeneity. Standardized mean effect size was calculated for each of the 109 studies. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted on Hedges' g to estimate the overall mean effect size g+ and determine the heterogeneity among studies. Hypochlorite resulted in a significant reduction in disease intensity or propagule viability indicating treatments were effective. However, 95% prediction intervals from -0.18 to 4.68 indicate hypochlorite could be ineffective against some populations. Random-effects analyses of categorical moderator values showed hypochlorite treatments were significantly more effective against disinfest spores in aqueous solution than on plastic, plant and wood. Similarly, hypochlorite was significantly more effective against Thielaviopsis spp. than Verticillium spp. Meta-regression indicated dose, contact time and their interaction on g+ were significant. Dose and time explained 0% and 16% of the variance in true effects, respectively. Continuous variable of dose or time, a categorical variable of target or genus and their interaction term explained 7% to 19% of the variance. These results show that although the current recommended dose and contact time for commercial bleach products are expected to result in effective disinfestation, the target material and genera of the fungal pathogen of interest will likely influence their efficacy.