Sustainable management of white mold in lettuce through chemical, organic and cultural practices

White mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a destructive disease of lettuce under protected cultivation system. A pot experiment was conducted during the 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons to evaluate the effectiveness of different management strategies against white mold and to determine their effect on growth and yield parameters of lettuce. The treatments included mustard oil cake (T₁), neem oil cake (T₂), poultry refuse (T₃), Tricho-compost (T₄), Ipridione (0.2%) (T₅), leaf thinning (T₆), and an untreated control (T₇). In both years, significant variations were observed among treatments in terms of disease severity, disease reduction over control, plant growth, and yield. Ipridione (0.2%) consistently recorded the lowest disease severity (22.87% in 2016 and 18.94% in 2017) and the highest disease reduction over control (69.19% and 73.27%, respectively), showing statistical superiority over all other treatments. Leaf thinning and neem oil cake also significantly reduced disease incidence in both seasons. In contrast, the untreated control exhibited the highest disease severity (74.24% in 2016 and 70.88% in 2017), reflecting severe disease pressure under experimental conditions. All growth parameters, including plant height, leaf length, and leaf breadth, were significantly enhanced by Ipridione and neem oil cake treatments. Yield per plant was also significantly influenced by the treatments. Ipridione producing the highest yield (237.81 g plant⁻¹ in 2016 and 353.31 g plant⁻¹ in 2017), followed by neem oil cake and leaf thinning. Although organic amendments and cultural practices were slightly less effective than chemical control. Neem oil cake and leaf thinning showed substantial disease suppression, reducing disease severity by up to 49.53% and 60.66%, respectively while also improving plant height, leaf size, and yield compared to untreated control. Overall, the study indicates that Ipridione (0.2%) is the most effective treatment for managing white mold and enhancing lettuce productivity, whereas neem oil cake and leaf thinning can serve as effective offer viable eco-friendly components in an integrated disease management approach under pot house conditions. Bangladesh J. Agri. 2026, 51(1):126-144