Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is esteemed for its diverse uses in flavoring beverages, enhancing cuisines and offering medicinal benefits such as aromatherapy and home remedies. Yet, its global production struggles to meet demand due to persistent seed-piece and soil-borne diseases (SSDs) caused by fungi, bacteria, oomycetes and nematodes. Lack of genetic diversity because of vegetative propagation exacerbates the situation. This study explored the efficacy of hot water treatment (HWT, 47°C for 30 minutes or 52°C for 10 minutes), Trichoderma-based biocontrol products (BPs, RootShield®, RootShield®Plus) and chitosan (1 or 5g/L in 1% HCl) alone or in combination with each other using ‘Chinese’ variety grown in a 10-lber grow-bags in a high tunnel. Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. zingiberi) was inoculated (2 X 103 conidial suspension/ml) prior to and after HWT, BPs and / or Chitosan. Results showed significantly higher mortality when seed-pieces were treated and then inoculated with pathogen before planting than vice versa. In one of the experiments, ginger plants grew significantly taller when treated chitosan (5g/L) when compared with non-treated control. Dipping seed-pieces in BPs also showed significantly higher growth and yield compared to only HWT or the non-treated control. The research contributes components that can be added towards developing integrated preventative and curative measures to mitigate SSDs. Recently, leaf spot caused by Curvularia sp. and postharvest infections by Pythium sp. and Penicillium sp. are under investigation. Scouting research plots in high tunnels and a grower’s greenhouse also revealed arthropod damages by grasshoppers, caterpillars, mites and sucking insects in protected systems.
