Activity of commercial detergents against conidia and chlamydospores of fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum

Current containment recommendations for limiting the spread of race 4 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum in California lack non-corrosive yet effective alternatives to bleach for sanitizing equipment used in farming operations. To find an equivalent to Farmcleanse, an Australian product recommended for disinfecting equipment contaminated with the Fusarium wilt pathogen, 26 cleansers and degreasers commercially available in the United States were tested for their ability to kill spores of race 4 of F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum. All treatments were tested at 1:10 and 1:100 (v/v) aqueous dilutions against conidia and chlamydospores in suspension. All treatments were also tested against chlamydospores in soil at a 1:10 dilution. Treatments demonstrating strong anti-fungal activity against spore suspensions at a 1:100 dilution were tested against conidia and chlamydospores at increasing aqueous dilutions (up to 1:100,000). Six products (Clorox, Simple Green d Pro 3, Trewax Nature's Orange, Formula 409 Antibacterial All Purpose Cleaner, Formula 409 Orange Cleaner Degreaser, and Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner Citrus Scent) were effective against conidia and chlamydospores at a 1:100 dilution. Two products (Simple Green d Pro 3, Trewax Nature's Orange) gave results similar to bleach at dilutions up to 1:1000 on both conidia and chlamydospores in suspension. Quaternary ammonium compounds were present in four of the six most effective products. None of the cleansers performed as well as bleach against chlamydospores in soil. These results reveal useful alternatives to bleach, but similarity in brand names of distinctly different products should benoted. The results also point to the importance of completely removing soil from equipment prior to spraying with anti-fungal cleansers. © The Cotton Foundation 2011.