Abstract
This research aimed to evaluate integrated management factors for cucumber damping-off disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, and to identify sustainable alternatives based on the principle of synergism between biological and nanotechnological agents to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. All field and laboratory experiments were conducted at the College of Agriculture, University of Karbala. The methodology relied on isolating the pathogen and testing the efficacy of the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma viride, nano-chitosan particles (Nano-Chitosan), and chelated mineral elements (iron and manganese), by reducing the dose of the chemical pesticide (Tolclofos-methyl) to half and testing this integrated combination in vitro and in the field. The main results showed the pathogen\'s high capacity to reduce seed germination to 28.5%, whereas the integrated combination (the proposed model) achieved complete inhibition of pathogen growth in vitro. In field experiments, seedling survival increased to 95.6% compared with 22.5% under pathogen infection alone. The results also recorded a qualitative increase in shoot dry weight of 333%, confirming the activation of the plant’s systemic defensive response. It is concluded that the multi-pathway attack technique that integrates biological and nano agents provides effective and sustainable protection for the crop while reducing chemical inputs by 50%. The findings of this research recommend adopting this integrated model as a fundamental pillar in integrated pest management (IPM) programs to ensure environmentally friendly agricultural production capable of efficiently confronting soil-borne pathogens with high effectiveness.