Survey of nematodes associated with sugarcane in the state of Paraná, Brazil

Sugarcane-associated nematodes (Saccharum spp.) can reduce productivity up to 50%. Through the survey, it was possible to identify the main nematodes that occur in a certain region as a tool for designing the best management and control strategies. The aim of this study was to characterize the population of nematodes associated with sugarcane in the North Central, North Pioneiro and Northwest mesoregion of the state of Paraná, Brazil, quantify the nematode genera associated with the crop and identify the species of Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne. A total amount of 89 soil and root composite samples were collected in nine municipalities. Nematodes were extracted and counted in a Peters counting chamber under an optical light microscope. Morphological description followed identification keys. Pratylenchus spp. were identified by morphological characteristics; Meloidogyne spp. were identified by morphological characteristics and isoenzyme electrophoresis. Twelve genera of nematodes associated with sugarcane were identified: Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne, Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, Mesocriconema, Trichodorus, Aphelenchus, Hoplolaimus, Tylenchus, Tylenchorhynchus, Ditylenchus, and Paratrichodorus. The genera Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne were found with the highest frequencies in the roots. Among the species of Pratylenchus, P. zeae and P. brachyurus were found, with P. zeae being the most frequent. Among the Meloidogyne species, only M. javanica was found. These results are essential to aid decision making in the management of phytonematodes, mainly in the development of new control strategies and in directing genetic breeding programs for development of sugarcane cultivars for the Paraná state.

A molecular approach reveals Tranzschelia discolor as the causal agent of rust on plum and peach in Brazil.

Plum and peach are important crops in the southernmost regions of Brazil and in the majority, fresh fruit producers are small producers, which guarantee their family income. Tranzschelia discolor and T. pruni-spinosae are the etiological agents of rust on Prunus domestica (plum) and P. persica (peach) in Brazil (Mendes and Urben, 2020). The molecular characterization of Tranzschelia specimens revealed different clades that are not attributed to known species, showing the need for taxonomic evaluation of Tranzschelia species in the tropics (Scholler et al. 2014; 2019). As Tranzschelia species reported in Brazil were identified only by morphological characteristics, this study aimed to carry out a survey to verify the etiology of rust on plum and peach based on molecular data. In 2018, rust symptoms in peach and plum trees were observed with maximum severity of 30% and 35%, respectively, in three Brazilian states. Symptoms of plum and peach rust are yellowish-green spots visible on the adaxial side of the leaves and uredia/uredinial sori releasing the brown urediniospores on the abaxial side (Supplementary figure 1). Symptomatic leaves of plum and peach were collected at Curitiba in the states of Paraná (lat. 25°25'47" S and long. 49°16'19" W, altitude of 935 meters) in a research station, Videira in Santa Catarina (lat. 27°00'30" S and long. 51°09'06" W, altitude of 750 meters) in a research station and Paranapanema in São Paulo (lat. 23º23'19" S and long. 48º43'22" W, altitude of 610 meters) in a farmer field, and deposited in the herbarium of the Municipal Botanical Museum of Curitiba (MBM 429790 to 429795). Urediniospores collected on plum and peach leaves were all echinulate, obovoid, orange-brown, and measured 18.0 - 33.5 µm × 10.5 - 20.5 µm (n=150) and 22.5 - 40.0 µm × 11.5 - 20.5 µm (n=150), respectively. The genomic DNA of the urediniospores was extracted for amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) using primers ITS5-u and ITS4-u (Pfunder et al. 2001). The sequences were deposited (Accession Nos. MT786213 to MT786218) and compared to sequences in the GenBank repository using the BLASTn algorithm. The sequences of ITS showed a high percentage of identity (>99%) with sequences from T. discolor (Accession Nos. AB097449, EU014071, KU712078, KY764179, MH599069, MN545867, DQ995341, DQ354542, and KX985768). Additionally, our isolates clustered with others T. discolor in a Bayesian phylogenetic tree based on ITS sequences (study S26663 deposited in TreeBASE) (Supplementary figure 2). A pathogenicity test was carried out on plants by inoculation of a 1.5 × 105 urediniospores mL-1 suspension on the abaxial side of the leaves. Leaves sprayed with sterile water were used as controls. The plants were incubated in a growth chamber (GC) in the dark for 48 h at 23 °C and maintained with 100% RH to establish infections. The inoculated plants were afterwards kept in the GC at a photoperiod of 12 h under same conditions until 14 days when the symptoms and pathogen structures were observed to all six isolates. Control leaves remained symptomless. Tranzschelia discolor infect plants in the genus Prunus, including almond, apricot, nectarine, cherry, peach, and plum (Farr and Rossman 2021). As T. pruni-spinosae was not found, T. discolor is probably the prevalent species in the main regions of Brazil. This information reveals T. discolor as the causal agent of plum and peach rust in Brazil and helps to understand the distribution of this disease in tropics or worldwide.

Morphophysiological characterization of Ceratocystis fimbriata isolates from yerba mate / Caracterização morfofisiológica de isolados de Ceratocystis fimbriata de erva-mate

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to morphologically characterize the isolates of Ceratocystis fimbriata from yerba mate and to evaluate the effect of culture medium and temperature on mycelial growth and sporulation of C. fimbriata. For the morphological characterization of the 11 monosporic isolates of the fungus, slides were prepared to determine the dimensions of the sexual and asexual structures of the fungus. Four experiments were conducted to evaluate the mycelial growth and to evaluate the sporulation of C. fimbriata in different culture mediums and temperatures. The isolates of C. fimbriata from yerba mate showed perithecia with brown to black necks, divergent ostiolar hyphae, hatshaped hyaline ascospores, single-celled, cylindrical endoconidia, and globular to ovoid aleurioconidia. PDA and V8-agar media showed the highest mycelial growth. The average optimum temperature for mycelial growth and sporulation of isolates of C. fimbriata of yerba mate were 22.5 and 22.4 ºC, respectively.

RESUMO: Este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar morfologicamente os isolados de Ceratocystis fimbriata e avaliar o efeito do meio de cultura e da temperatura no crescimento micelial e na esporulação de C. fimbriata. Para a caracterização morfológica dos 11 isolados monospóricos do fungo foram preparadas lâminas para determinar as dimensões das estruturas sexuadas e assexuadas do fungo. Quatro experimentos foram conduzidos para avaliar o crescimento micelial e esporulação of C. fimbriata em diferentes meios de culturae temperaturas. Os isolados de C. fimbriata de erva-mate apresentaram peritécios com pescoço de marrom a preto, hifa ostiolar divergente, ascósporos hialinos em formato de chapéu, endoconídios unicelulares, cilíndricos, e aleuroconídios com formato globoso a ovoide. Os meios de cultura PDA e V8-ágar apresentaram os maiores crescimentos miceliais. A temperatura ótima média para crescimento micelial e esporulação dos isolados de C. fimbriata de erva-mate foram de 22,5 e 22,4 ºC, respectivamente.

Occurrence of Plasmopara destructor causing Downy Mildew on Impatiens walleriana in Brazil.

Impatiens walleriana (Balsaminaceae), popularly known as Impatiens, is an African succulent and a popular ornamental plant worldwide (GBIF, 2019). In Brazil it is broadly grown indoors and outdoors, including in public parks of Curitiba, State of Paraná (Viezzer et al. 2018). In September 2018, I. walleriana plants showing typical downy mildew symptoms were observed in wastelands and gardens in Curitiba. The symptoms included adaxial chlorotic leaf spots with abundant white sporulation on abaxial side (Supplementary figure 1). The disease led to severe defoliation of the plants and the incidence of the plant disease varied from 20 to 80% of plants in an area ranging from 400 to 40,000 m2. A representative sample was deposited in herbarium of the Museu Botânico Municipal de Curitiba (MBM 331601). The following morphology was observed: Sporangiophores (n = 30), hyaline, thin walled, emerging through stomata, 407.3 to 551.1 µm long, slightly swollen base, first branch at 165.8 to 324.7 µm from base, end branches 5.1 to 13.1 µm long, sporangia (n = 50) hyaline, thin-walled subglobose to ovoid, from 12.8 to 21.9 µm x 12.5 to 17.9 µm, slightly papillate. Due to morphological and genetic variations within the species Plasmopara obducens, Görg et al. (2017) proposed the new species P. velutina and P. destructor. The morphology of the Curitiba specimen was equivalent to that described for P. destructor (Görg et al. 2017). DNA was extracted from LEMIDPRTf-19-02 isolate and the ITS1 and cox2 regions were PCR amplified as described in Görg et al. (2017). The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS1, MT680628; cox2, MT952335). A BLASTn analysis of the sequences revealed 100% homology with ITS (MF372742) and cox2 (MF372728) sequences of type strain of P. destructor (GLM-F107554). A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed to compare the sequences from this study with reference sequences for P. obducens, P. destructor and P. velutina (Görg et al. 2017; Salgado-Salazar et al. 2018). The oomycete from Curitiba grouped in a reliable clade with P. destructor (Supplementary figure 2). Pathogenicity was carried out by ex vivo and in vivo tests. For ex vivo, stems with approximately four healthy leaves of I. walleriana (n = 10) were embedded in aluminum grid inside of gerbox with the stem bases immersed in distilled water. The inoculation of five stems was carried out by spraying a suspension with 6 x 104 sporangia mL-1 on the abaxial side of the leaves. Five stems with leaves inoculated with sterile water were used as controls. They were incubated in a growth chamber in the dark for 48 h at 20 °C and another 12 days in a 12 h light photoperiod. The confirmation of pathogenicity in plants (in vivo) was obtained with the inoculation of I. walleriana seedlings (one-month old) grown in 2 dm3 aluminum pots. The inoculation methodology and number of plants were the same as the stems test. After the inoculation, plants were incubated in a growth chamber for 48 h in the dark at 20 °C with 100% RH with nebulization, and another 10 days at a photoperiod of 12 hours of light. For both tests, abundant sporulation was observedwith morphology equivalent to Plasmopara destructor described by Görg et al. (2017). No disease developed on control plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. destructor on I. walleriana in Brazil (Farr and Rossman 2019, Silva et al. 2019) representing a potential loss to flower production and a reduction in flowering period in public gardens and parks.

First Report of Gaeumannomyces radicicola causing stalk rot on maize in Brazil.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important commodities, and Brazil is the second-largest maize exporter country in the world. In April 2019, the period of the second crop maize (safrinha), it was observed black decayed lesions on roots and wilting of some maize plants, causing a "sudden death" in a commercial area in the west of Paraná state, Brazil (Figure 1A-C). Symptomatic root and stalk were collected, and tissues surface disinfected with 70% ethanol for 30 s, 1.5% NaOCl for 1 min and rinsed three times in sterile distilled water, slices of necrotic tissues were transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and grown for 7 days at 27 ± 1ºC with a photoperiod of 12 h. Pure cultures were obtained through monosporic isolation. The fungal morphology is alike Gaeumannomyces radicicola, which is a synonym of Phialophora radicicola var. radicicola, Harpophora radicicola, P. zeicola, H. zeicola and G. graminis var. maydis (Hernández-Restrepo et al. 2016). Colonies on PDA showed flat, white to light gray at first (Fig. 1D), turning gray to black with age (Fig. 1E). Colony diameter approximately 5.2 cm on PDA in the dark after 7 days at 27ºC. Conidiophores with slightly thickened wall, mostly branched, varying in dimensions, with a range of 57.5-166.5 (avg. 128.7 µm) × 2.9-5.9 (avg. 4.2 µm) n = 25 (Fig. 1H-J). The conidia showed lunate-shaped with rounded ends, produced successively at the apex of phialide, 3.3-9.7 (avg. 6.6 µm) × 1.5-3.6 µm (avg. 2.5 µm), n = 100 (Fig. 1G-J). Morphological characteristics were comparable to the description of this specie (Cain 1952; Gams 2000; McKeen 1952). The total genomic DNA of a representative isolate, LEMIDPRZm 19-01 was extracted and the partial large subunit (28S nrDNA; LSU), internal transcribed spacer nrDNA including the intervening 5.8S nrDNA (ITS), and part of the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II gene (RPB1) were amplified and sequenced, as following by Hernández-Restrepo et al. (2016) and Klaubauf et al. (2014). The primers to LSU - NL1 (O'Donnel, 1993) and LR5 (Vilgalys; Hester, 1990); ITS - ITS5 and ITS4 (White et al., 1990); and RPB1 - RPB1F and RPB1R (Klaubauf et al., 2014) were used in this study. The gene sequences of LSU (MT123866), ITS (MT114427), and RPB1 (MT123867) were deposited in GenBank and showed 99.67%, 99.75%, and 100% identity with type material G. radicicola CBS 296.53 (KM484962, KM484845, and KM485061). A multi-locus phylogenetic analysis based on Bayesian Inference showed the isolate LEMIDPRZm 19-01 in the G. radicicola clade (Fig. 2). To confirm pathogenicity, ex vivo assays were performed with mycelial PDA discs of 5 mm from a 7-day-old culture using detached roots (adapted method by Degani et al., 2019), on wounded and unwounded stalk and leaves, each treatment consisted of five replications. PDA discs without fungal were used in negative tissue controls. Pathogenicity tests were also conducted in vivo, two experiments performed: i) the stalk tissue was inoculated by sterilized toothpick grown on PDA with fungal mycelium and the leaves inoculated as ex vivo assay, and toothpick without fungal mycelium was used to stalk negative control, whereas PDA discs without fungal were used in the tested leaves; ii) 6 mycelial PDA discs/500 mL were placed on potato dextrose broth (PDB) media and it remained in agitation for 10 days to obtain a mycelial suspension. Subsequently, the mycelial was crushed to soil infestation, and 50 mL from this suspension were dropped in each 2 L maize pot with soil sterilization 10 days after emergence. Maize pots with soil sterilization without mycelium fungal were used as negative controls. Four replications (maize pots), for each treatment, were used in both tests. Experiments were repeated twice. In the ex vivo assay, all inoculated tissues with and without wounds showed necrotic lesions (Fig. 1K-N). In the first in vivo assay, stalk rot symptoms, including wilting of the inoculated plants causing premature plant death, were observed within 6 days (Fig. 1O-Q). In the second in vivo assay, inoculated plants had inferior growth than compared with plant control. Sixty days after inoculation, the plants were removed from the pots and it was observed a roots degeneration with symptoms of necrosis (Fig. 1R-U). No symptoms were detected in the control treatments and the pathogen was re-isolated from symptomatic tissues confirming Koch's postulate for all assays. So far, to our knowledge, the pathogen distribution was reported solely in the west area of Paraná state, but it may become a potential threat to Brazilian maize production. Further monitoring is necessary to better understand the epidemiology of this pathogen to address a strategy for disease control. The pathogen has already been detected in Canada, South Africa, and China. To our knowledge, this is the first report of G. radicicola in Brazil, as well as in South America.

Development and validation of a standard area diagram set to assess powdery mildew severity on watermelon leaves / Desenvolvimento e validação de uma escala diagramática para avaliar a severidade oídio em folhas de melancia do

ABSTRACT: The development and validation of a standard area diagram set (SADs) was proposed in this study to assess the severity of powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii) in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) leaves. The SADs proposed has twelve levels of severity, varying from 0.07 to 100%. The SADs were validated by 16 raters who had no previous experience in evaluating plant disease severity. Initially, the estimation of severity was performed without the use of the SADs in leaves with different levels of severity. In a second moment, the same raters estimated the disease severity using the SADs proposed. By Lin's concordance correlation analysis, there was an improvement in precision (coefficient of correlation, r = 0.878 and r = 0.959, without and with SADs, respectively) and accuracy (bias correction factor, Cb = 0.830 and 0.982, without and with SADs, respectively) using SADs when compared to the non-use of SADs. The agreement (Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, ρc = 0.734 and 0.952 without and with SADs, respectively) also improved using SADs. Severity estimates inter-rater were more reliable when using SADs (coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.681 without and R2 = 0.864 with SADs; Intra-class correlation coefficient, ρ = 0.759 and ρ = 0.928, without and with SADs, respectively). Therefore, SADs improved precision, accuracy and reliability of powdery mildew severity on watermelon leaves.

RESUMO: Neste estudo foi proposto o desenvolvimento e validação de uma escala diagramática (ED) para avaliar a severidade do oídio (Podosphaera xanthii) em folhas de melancia (Citrullus lanatus). A ED proposta possui 12 níveis de severidade, variando de 0,07 a 100%. A ED foi validada por 16 avaliadores inexperientes em avaliação de severidade de doenças de plantas. Inicialmente, as estimativas de severidade foram realizadas sem o uso da ED em folhas com diferentes níveis de severidade. No segundo momento, os mesmos avaliadores estimaram a severidade da doença usando a ED proposta. Pela análise da correlação concordante de Lin, houve melhoria na precisão (coeficiente de correlação, r = 0,787 e r = 0,959, sem e com o uso da ED, respectivamente) e acurácia (fator de correção do desvio, Cb = 0,830 e 0,982, sem e com o uso da ED, respectivamente) usando a ED quando comparado ao não uso da ED. O coeficiente de correlação concordante de Lin, ρc = 0,734 e 0,952 sem e com o uso da ED, respectivamente) também melhorou com o uso da ED. As estimativas de severidade tiveram melhoria na reprodutibilidade quando a ED foi usada (coeficiente de determinação, R2=0,681 e R2 = 0,864 sem e com o uso da ED, respectivamente; coeficiente de correlação intra-classe, ρ = 0,759 e ρ = 0,928, sem e com o uso da ED, respectivamente). Portanto, a ED melhorou a precisão, acurácia e reprodutibilidade das estimativas de severidade do oídio em folhas de melancia.

Reaction of sugarcane genotypes to brown and to orange rust by leaf whorl inoculation / Reação de genótipos de cana-de-açúcar às ferrugens marrom e alaranjada por inoculação no cartucho foliar

ABSTRACT: In this research eleven sugarcane genotypes were classified in relation to their resistance to brown rust, and eleven to their resistance to orange rust. Artificial inoculation was carried out in the leaf whorl of 165-day-old plants in the city of Paranavaí, Paraná State, Brazil, in 2017. The evaluation was performed 30 days after inoculation, using a rating scale. Among the genotypes tested for brown rust, four were classified as susceptible, six as moderately susceptible and one presented moderate resistance. For orange rust, three genotypes were classified as susceptible, seven as moderately susceptible and one as moderately resistant. The evaluation and classification of the reaction of sugarcane genotypes to the rusts is an important tool that assist in preliminary trials and selection of promising genotypes for more advanced stages of breeding programs and provides information to producers on the choice of cultivars to be planted.

RESUMO: Neste trabalho onze genótipos de cana-de-açúcar foram classificados em relação à sua resistência à ferrugem marrom, e onze quanto à resistência à ferrugem alaranjada. Foi realizada a inoculação no "cartucho foliar" de colmos com 165 dias, no município de Paranavaí, PR, em 2017. A avaliação foi feita aos 30 dias após a inoculação, utilizando uma escala de notas. Dos genótipos avaliados para ferrugem marrom, quatro foram classificados como suscetíveis, seis como moderadamente suscetíveis e um apresentou resistência moderada. Para a ferrugem alaranjada, três genótipos foram classificados como suscetíveis, sete como moderadamente suscetíveis e um como moderadamente resistente. A avaliação e classificação da reação de genótipos de cana-de-açúcar às ferrugens é uma ferramenta importante que auxilia em ensaios preliminares, na escolha de genótipos promissores para fases mais avançadas dos programas de melhoramento além de fornecer informações aos produtores na seleção das cultivares que serão plantadas.

Elaboração e validação de escalas diagramáticas para avaliação da severidade da mancha-bacteriana do feijão - caupi em cultivares com trifólios morfologicamente distintos / Elaboration and validation of a diagrammatic scale to assess bacterial blight severity on cowpea cultivars with morphologically distinct leaflets

Duas escalas diagramáticas foram desenvolvidas para quantificar a severidade da mancha-bacteriana do feijão-caupi, causada pela bactéria Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vignicola, em cultivares de feijão-caupi de trifólios com folíolos ovais e lanceolados. Trifólios com diferentes níveis de severidade foram coletados para determinação do limite mínimo e máximo de severidade, sendo níveis intermediários determinados de acordo com a "Lei do Estímulo de Weber-Fechner". Os níveis propostos foram: 0,05; 0,25; 1,00; 3,40; 9,70; e 17,70% para trifólios com folíolos ovais e 0,10; 0,35; 1,10; 3,50; 9,30; e 19,10% para trifólios com folíolos lanceolados. As escalas foram validadas por meio do cálculo da sua acurácia e precisão. Para tanto, realizou-se análises de regressão linear da severidade real com a estimada com e sem o uso das escalas propostas. As estimativas foram feitas por 12 avaliadores sem experiência em quantificar essa doença em 50 trifólios com diferentes níveis de severidade da mancha-bacteriana. Para isso, avaliou-se a acurácia e a precisão dos avaliadores. Com a utilização das escalas diagramáticas, obtiveram-se níveis satisfatórios de acurácia e precisão. Assim, as escalas propostas tornam-se uma ferramenta fácil e de rápida utilização, que podem ser adotadas para auxiliar na avaliação da severidade da mancha-bacteriana do feijão-caupi, em estudos epidemiológicos e seleção de cultivares resistentes a doença.

Two diagrammatic scales were developed to assess the severity of bacterial blight of cowpea, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vignicola in cowpea cultivars with oval and lanceolate leaflets, considering the limits for minimum and maximum severity of the disease, as well as intermediate levels. The levels were determined in accordance with the "Weber-Fechner's Stimulus Responses Law", representing: 0.05; 0.25; 1.00; 3.40; 9.70; and 17.70% for diagrammatic scale with oval leaflets and 0.10; 0.35; 1.10; 3, 50; 9.30; and 19.10% for lanceolate leaflets. The scales were validated by means of their accuracy and precision. To calculate these factors, linear regression analysis of actual disease severity and the estimated ones with and without the use of the scales. Twelve non-experienced evaluators estimated 50 leaflets with different levels of severity bacterial blight. For this, the accuracy and precision of the evaluators was assessed. With the use of diagrammatic scales, there were satisfactory levels of accuracy and precision. Thus, the diagrammatic scales proposed were considered appropriate to assess the severity of bacterial blight of cowpea and can be used in epidemiological studies, to evaluate the reactions of genotypes to the disease.

Silicato de potássio, acibenzolar-S-metil e fungicidas no controle da ferrugem da soja / Potassium silicate, acibenzolar-S-methyl and fungicides on the control of soybean rust

A produção da soja pode ser afetada pela ocorrência de várias doenças. Dentre estas, a ferrugem, causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi, tem se destacado. Atualmente, novas estratégias de controle para essa doença devem ser pesquisadas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência do silicato de potássio (KSi), acibenzolar-S-metil e fungicidas no controle da ferrugem da soja. Um experimento foi conduzido em condições de campo, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, utilizando-se 10 tratamentos, com três repetições. Foi utilizada a cultivar 'Monarca' por ser suscetível à ferrugem. Os tratamentos utilizados foram: T1 - testemunha (pulverização com água); T2 - KSi (1,2kg ha-1); T3 - KSi (2,4kg ha-1); T4 - KSi (3,6kg ha-1); T5 - KSi (4,8kg ha-1); T6 - tebuconazole (125g de i.a. ha-1); T7 - cloreto de potássio (61,72g L-1); T8 - mancozebe (2400g de i.a. ha-1); T9 - mancozebe (2400g de i.a. ha-1) + KSi (1,2kg ha-1) e T10 - acibenzolar-S-metil (125g de i.a. ha-1). As plantas da bordadura foram inoculadas com uma suspensão de 5x10(5) uredosporos mL-1 no estádio V4 para constituírem fonte de inóculo, para as parcelas centrais. As plantas foram pulverizadas com os produtos que constituíram os tratamentos T2, T3, T4, T5, T7, T8 e T9 nos estádios V5, R1, R4 e R5.4 e os tratamentos T6 e T10 nos estádios R1, R4 e R5.4. As plantas foram pulverizadas com atomizador costal manual de bico cônico empregando-se um volume de calda de 200L ha-1. Foram realizadas cinco avaliações da severidade da ferrugem nos terços inferior, médio e superior das plantas utilizando-se uma escala diagramática variando de 0,6 a 78,5 por cento, e os dados obtidos foram utilizados para calcular a área abaixo da curva do progresso da ferrugem (AACPF). Não houve efeito significativo das doses de KSi na AACPF e severidade máxima (Ymax) nos terços inferior, médio e superior das plantas, além da produtividade. Os tratamentos 8, 9 e 10 apresentaram eficiência intermediária ...

Soybean production can be affected by the occurrence of several diseases. Among them, the rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, has been outstanding. Nowadays, new strategies to control soybean rust need to be searched. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of potassium silicate (KSi), acibenzolar-S-methyl and some fungicides on the control of soybean rust. An experiment was carried out under field conditions in a randomized complete block design with 10 treatments and three replications. The cultivar 'Monarca' was used because it is susceptible to rust. The treatments used were: T1 - control (plants sprayed with water); T2 - KSi (1.2kg ha-1); T3 - KSi (2.4kg ha-1); T4 - KSi (3.6kg ha-1); T5 - KSi (4.8kg ha-1); T6 - tebuconazol (125g de a.i. ha-1); T7 - potassium cloride (61.72g L-1); T8 - mancozeb (2400g de a.i. ha-1); T9 - mancozeb (2400g de a.i. ha-1) + KSi (1.2kg ha-1) and T10 - acibenzolar-S-methyl (125g de a.i. ha-1). Plants from the two lateral lines were inoculated with a suspension of 5x10(5) uredospores/mL at the V4 growth stage to produce inoculum to infect plants at the two central lines. Plants were sprayed with the products that constituted the treatments T2, T3, T4, T5, T7, T8, and T9 at V5, R1, R4, and R5.4 growth stages; and the treatments T6 and T10 at R1, R4, and R5.4 growth stages. Plants were sprayed using a costal sprayer in a volume of 200L ha-1. A total of five disease severity evaluations at the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy were done using a diagrammatic scale ranging from 0.6 to 78.5 percent. Data were used to calculate the area under rust progress curve (AURPC). There was no effect of the KSi rates on AURPC and final disease severity (Ymax) at the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy. Yield was also unaffected. The treatments 8, 9, and 10 had an intermediary efficiency on rust control. The treatment 6 was the most efficient on rust control giving the lowest ...