3.3. Growth promotion and disease prevention by CZ powder
The treatment of soil drenching with a 100-fold dilution of CZ
showed an effect of growth promotion on N. tabacum cv. NC89. The
fresh weight, area of the biggest leaf and plant height were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that of water control. The plants
with CZ treatments had greener leaves and stronger root systems.
N. tabacum cv. NC89 showed less disease infection when sprayed
with the 100-fold dilution of CZ before TMV inoculation. The disease
index and control effect of the CZ treatments were 17.8% and
59.2%, respectively, compared with water control. The nutrient
broth medium treatments also showed significant growth promotion
but little control effect on TMV was observed in this trial
(Table 4). Results from these experiments indicated that CZ could
not only promote plant growth but also serve as an antagonist
against TMV.