POTENCIAL DE BIOFUNGICIDA NO CONTROLE DE Sclerotinia sclerotiorum EM ÁREAS DE PRODUÇÃO DE SOJA

Abstract

White mold, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is one of the main phytosanitary limitations to soybean cultivation, potentially causing significant productivity losses in environments with mild temperatures and high relative humidity, which favor the development of the pathogen. Therefore, the use of biological control agents, especially species of the genus Trichoderma, has emerged as a sustainable alternative to chemical control. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of a commercial biofungicide based on Trichoderma spp. on the germination of S. sclerotiorum sclerotia in soybean production areas. The experiment was conducted in the field, in different irrigated agricultural areas, using a completely randomized experimental design (CRD), where sclerotia were exposed to the product and subsequently subjected to mycelial and carpogenic germination tests, as well as the evaluation of colonization by Trichoderma spp. The results indicated that although it did not significantly reduce mycelial germination, the biofungicide had a significant effect on decreasing carpogenic germination and increasing the colonization of sclerotia by the biological agent, especially in certain areas evaluated. These findings highlight the potential of using Trichoderma spp. based biofungicides as a complementary strategy in the management of white mold, contributing to the reduction of pathogen survival in the soil and, consequently, to the decrease in the incidence of the disease in soybean crops.