Guava fruit loss caused by rust

The aim of this paper was to estimate the loss caused by rust (Puccinia psidii) to 'Paluma' guava production in orchards located in Rio de Janeiro State. The disease intensity on the reproductive organs of plants was observed during two chemical control experiments carried out in 2003 and 2004. The loss was estimated based on simple linear regression and the production reduction (fruit number and weight ha-1) on the incidence of diseased buds and fruits. In the first experiment, no relationship was established between incidence of diseased buds and loss since there was a delay in spraying and the incidence of buds showing rust was high (mean of 47%) at the beginning of flowering. In the second experiment (2003-2004), spraying occurred at the beginning of the epidemics and there was a linear relationship between incidence of diseased buds and loss, justifying fungicide intervention at this stage. For the fruiting stage, a significant relationship was found between incidence of diseased fruits and loss in both experiments. In the absence of chemical control, rust reduced fruit production by around 90%

Sintomatologia da murcha de Ceratocystis fimbriata em eucalipto

Descreveram-se o histórico da murcha de Ceratocystis fimbriata em eucalipto no Brasil e em outros países e a sintomatologia da doença, em plantações clonais com 4 meses a 5 anos de idade, em brotações de tocos, em estacas em enraizamento e em mudas clonais em viveiro, de quatro estados brasileiros. O patógeno evoluía-se da extremidade da raiz, atingindo o colo e tronco acima via parênquima medular, de onde, em diversas alturas, surgiam estrias escuras, que progrediam, via parênquima radial, matando uma porção de câmbio vascular, de floema e de feloderme. Dessa progressão sistêmica do patógeno, ascendente e radialmente, resultava uma lesão longitudinal externamente no tronco, contínua ou descontínua, marrom-avermelhada, coriácea, que passava a sulcada e, posteriormente, a cancro longitudinal, com seus calos longilíneos nas duas laterais. Por esse contexto sintomatológico, pode-se considerar essa enfermidade como um modelo de doença sistêmica em essência florestal, pelo menos na subárea da patologia florestal brasileira. Em brotações novas, em estacas em enraizamento e em mudas clonais as lesões eram longitudinais, contínuas ou descontínuas, negras a arroxeadas. A inativação de xilema em raízes, colo e em diferentes alturas do tronco, ou galho, dava-se pelo adensamento das estrias radiais escuras no lenho.The symptomatology of Ceratocystis fimbriata wilt in eucalyptus was described based on observations of 4-month to 5-year-old clonal plantations, in stump sprouts, rooting cuttings, and rooted seedlings in nurseries. The disease was characterized as a model of systemic disease in woody plants, which starts in roots and progresses upward to the collar and trunk through the medullar parenchyma, where dark stripes irradiate and lead a portion of the vascular cambium, phloem and phelloderm to death. As the pathogen spread upward and radially, a longitudinal reddish-brown, continuous or non-continuous corky lesion appeared outside the trunk. Later, it turned into a furrowed, brownish, and finally longitudinal canker with callus on both sides. In infected young sprouts, cuttings, and seedlings, the lesions were longitudinal and bluish-black or purple. The xylem was inactivated by compression of the radial stripes in some woody segments

Infection Process of Cercospora coffeicola on Coffee Leaf

Brown eye spot, caused by Cercospora coffeicola, is an important disease of coffee. Both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces were inoculated with a conidial suspension of C. coffeicola. Samples were collected from 4 to 168 h after inoculation and then again at 35 days. Germinated conidia showed positive tropism to stomata where attempted penetrations occurred. Appressoria were not observed. After penetration, C. coffeicola colonized the lacunous parenchyma both inter and intracellularly. Sporulation occurred through or around the stomata. Results from this study provide new insights into the infection process of C. coffeicola on coffee leaf

Validation of decision support systems for tomato early blight and potato late blight, under Brazilian conditions

Early and late blight are the most important foliar diseases of tomato and potato crops in Brazil. Decision support systems (DSS) are important tools in reducing the large amount of fungicides applied to suppress disease intensity. Systems developed for early or late blight were validated in two cropping seasons under Brazilian conditions. For tomato early blight, FAST, CUFAST, and TOMCAST systems were compared in the spring–summer (September–December) (SS) 2002 and summer–autumn (January–April) (SA) 2003. In both seasons, area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) values for FAST (123.2 and 340.3, respectively) and CUFAST (64.0 and 359.2, respectively) did not differ from calendar-based treated plots (82.5 and 225.7, respectively). Plots treated according to TOMCAST were sprayed once and AUDPC values (369.9 and 697.8) in SS and SA seasons, respectively, did not differ from the control plots (397.5 and 836.0, respectively). In SS, four fungicide sprays were recommended by CUFAST and FAST, whereas five were set by fixed calendar treatment; there were no differences in yield loss among treatments. In SA, FAST, CUFAST and calendar, recommended 4, 9, and 11 sprays, respectively. Higher yields were recorded in plots sprayed according to the calendar system compared to control plots, but there were no significant differences between the DSS and the calendar system. For potato late blight, BLITECAST, SIMCAST, NegFry, and Wallin systems were compared in the summer (December–March) and in the autumn (March–June). Despite no late blight developing in the summer, all systems recommended fungicide sprays. In the autumn–winter, late blight was severe but was reduced by fungicide applications according to all DSS, but the number of sprays was similar to the calendar. The AUDPC values in control plots (1193.5) were higher than BLITECAST (19.5), SIMCAST (97.7), NegFry (193.1), Wallin (69.7), and calendar (63.5) but there were no differences among AUDPC values in plots treated according to DSS. The NegFry and Wallin systems recommended five and the calendar six sprays. All DSS were as effective as the calendar treatment in reducing AUDPC. FAST and Wallin were the most effective systems in forecasting tomato early blight and potato late blight, respectively. Decision support systems are potentially useful tools for integrated management of both diseases in Brazil

Compatibilidade e efeito da mistura de isolados de rizobactérias na indução do enraizamento e crescimento de clones de eucalipto

Com vistas ao desenvolvimento de um produto biológico à base de rizobactérias promotoras do crescimento de plantas, este trabalho objetivou avaliar a compatibilidade e o efeito da mistura de isolados de rizobactérias pré-selecionados na indução do enraizamento e crescimento de clones de eucalipto. A compatibilidade entre os isolados de rizobactérias foi determinada por antibiograma nos meios de cultivo de Kado e Heskett e em meio B de King, enquanto o efeito da mistura de isolados foi avaliado por meio da aplicação dos isolados, individualmente ou em misturas, em substrato de enraizamento, empregando-se a mesma proporção de inóculo dos co-inoculantes. Em 64% das possíveis combinações entre dois isolados, não se constataram reações de incompatibilidade. Os isolados VC2 e CIIb foram os mais compatíveis. De forma geral, não se observou sinergia entre misturas de isolados compatíveis, assim como também não ocorreu, geralmente, redução na eficiência da mistura de isolados incompatíveis

Efeito de rizobabactérias sobre o enraizamento e crescimento de clones de eucalipto em diferentes condições de propagação clonal

Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, avaliar a eficiência de isolados de rizobactérias sobre o enraizamento e crescimento de clones de eucalipto sob diferentes condições de propagação clonal. Os resultados evidenciaram que os incrementos em enraizamento e em biomassa radicular variaram de acordo com o isolado de rizobactéria e o clone de eucalipto, não sendo observado efeito deletério em nenhuma das combinações testadas. O ganho médio no enraizamento e biomassa radicular foi de 20,4 e 73,0%, respectivamente. Para enraizamento, o isolado mais promissor foi o S2 e na biomassa radicular, os isolados S1 e S2

Microbiolização e interação entre rizobactérias promotoras do crescimento e clones de eucalipto

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar métodos de microbiolização e estudar a interação entre isolados de rizobactérias e clones de eucalipto. Analisaram-se três métodos de microbiolização: a) Adição de suspensão de rizobactérias a 10(8) ufc/mL no substrato (0,2 mL/cc); b) Imersão de miniestacas na mesma suspensão de inóculo; e c) Combinação dos dois tratamentos (a e b). Empregaram-se um clone híbrido de eucalipto (Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla) e isolados de rizobactérias (3918, FL2 e S1). Depois de 25 dias do estaqueamento, avaliaram-se o índice de enraizamento, a biomassa radicular e da parte aérea e a incidência de doenças. Em geral, não houve diferença entre os métodos de microbiolização, e todos os isolados aumentaram o enraizamento, a biomassa radicular e o controle biológico de Cylindrocladium spp. Em outro experimento, os resultados indicaram interação entre clones de eucalipto e isolados de rizobactérias para enraizamento e biomassa radicular

Selection of Clonostachys rosea isolates from Brazilian ecosystems effective in controlling Botrytis cinerea

Clonostachys spp. were isolated from soil samples, and living and dead leaves of different plant species. Twelve isolates which sporulated well when cultured on agar media were compared regarding the capacity of establishing and suppressing Botrytis cinerea in leaves of Rosa hybrida ‘Sandra,’ Fragaria × ananassa ‘Dover,’ Lycopersicon esculentum ‘Kada,’ and Eucalyptus globulus. The isolates established in leaves of each plant species, but leaf area with conidiophores (SFCA) varied with the stage of leaf development. In rose, SFCA varied from 3.0 to 13.9% on senescing leaves and 3.4 to 10.0% on green leaves. SFCA was higher in young leaves of E. globulus and tomato (1.4–15.6% and 1.4–8.0%, respectively) than on senescing leaves (0.8–3.5% and 1.0–5.2%, respectively). In strawberry, SFCA varied from 0.7 to 6.2% on completely expanded leaves. Clonostachys rosea isolates reduced B. cinerea sporulation on leaves of rose (81.0–97.4% reduction), strawberry (87.6–96.8%), E. globulus (63.7–89.7%), and tomato (100% reduction). Four isolates of C. rosea were selected based on high levels of SFCA and suppression of B. cinerea. When leaf discs of the four hosts inoculated with these C. rosea isolates were challenged with isolates of B. cinerea of variable levels of aggressiveness, SFCA and pathogen suppression varied with the combination. Efficiency of C. rosea isolates in suppressing sporulation of B. cinerea varied among hosts but was always above 80%. The four selected Brazilian isolates of C. rosea are potential biocontrol agents for Botrytis blight management in Brazilian agricultural systems

Influence of calcium nutrition on wilt of dry bean

A influência da nutrição com Ca em solução nutritiva, e, da concentração e do tipo de inóculo sobre a severidade da murcha de Fusarium no feijoeiro, foram estudados em ensaios conduzidos em câmara de crescimento. Foram inoculados clamidosporos (103, 104, 105) e conídios (104, 105, 106) em plantas suscetíveis com uma semana de idade, para verifi­car a influência da concentração e do tipo de inóculo. A severidade da doença, avaliada aos 20 dias, foi diretamente relacionada com a concentração de inóculo, sendo os clamidosporos mais infectivos que os conídios. A relação de Ca e severidade da murcha foi investigada por meio da inoculação de 103 clamidosporos em plantas de cultivares suscetíveis e resistentes, com uma semana de idade, mantidas em solução nutritiva nas doses de 0,3; 0,5; 1,0; 2,0; 3,0 e 4,0 mN de Ca. Avaliaram-se a severidade da doença e a descoloração vascular aos 20 dias da inoculação. Determinou-se o teor de micro e macronutrientes na parte aérea das plantas. Não se verificou correlação entre Ca e severidade de enfermidade ou descoloração vascular.The influence of calcium nutrition in hydroponic solution on the severity of Fusarium wilt of beans, as well as the influence of concentration and type of inoculum on infection, was studied under green house conditions. Chlamydospores (103, 104, 105/ml) or conidia (104, 105, 106/ml) were inoculated in susceptible plants of 1 week age to verify the influence of concentration and inoculum type on the severity of Fusarium wilt. Disease severity, evaluated after 20 days, was related with inoculum concentration. Chlamydospores were more infective than conidia. The interaction between Ca concentration and severity of Fusarium wilt was investigated by inoculating one-week old susceptible and resistant plants with 103 chlamydospores/ml. The plants were grown in solution containing 0.3; 0.5; 1.0; 2.0; 3.0 and 4.0 mN of Ca. Disease severity and vascular discoloration were evaluated after 20 days. The content of micro and macro nutrients were determined in the plant tops. No correlation between tissue Ca and disease severity or vascular discoloration was observed