UTILIZAÇÃO DE BIOLÓGICO PARA O TRATAMENTO DE SEMENTE DE MILHO PARA O CONTROLE DE M. javanica.

Abstract

Corn is a widely used crop for human and animal consumption worldwide; however, the presence of nematodes in cultivated areas can cause significant production losses. Among the main plant-parasitic nematodes associated with corn, those of the genus Meloidogyne, known as root-knot nematodes, stand out. Controlling these organisms is extremely important to ensure crop productivity. A viable and promising strategy is biological control through seed treatment, which provides protection to the primary inoculum of the pathogen and acts in the early stages of plant development. In this context, the present work aims to evaluate the efficiency of corn seed treatment with a Bacillus-based biological nematicide. The product Rizos, based on Bacillus subtilis, was used, applied at five concentrations, with six repetitions. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, following a completely randomized design. Concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 1.5 were applied to the seeds. 2.0 and 2.5 mL (3 x 10⁹ CFU/mL) of the product were used, followed by inoculation with 5000 eggs of *M. javanica*. Sixty days after inoculation, fresh and dry weight of the aerial part and eggs per plant were evaluated. The use of the biological agent did not reduce nematode reproduction under the experimental conditions. In fact, increasing the dose of the bacteria resulted in greater nematode reproduction in the corn roots. Further studies of this interaction should be conducted to confirm this result of the interaction between B. subtilis and M. javanica in corn.

Keywords: Bacillus subtilis; biocontrol; sustainable management; root-knot nematode; protection.