Fusarium sambucinum associado a sementes de Pinus elliottii: patogenicidade, morfologia, filogenia molecular e controle

Abstract

Pinus elliottii is an important forestal culture, whose seeds, in terms of health quality, display high vulnerability to fungal pathogenic agents, especially to the association of especially by association of Fusarium spp. which is a responsible agent for seedlings losses in the nursery. This study aims to determine the appropriate method to assess the pathogenicity of Fusarium sp. associated with seeds of P. elliottii, and characterize the fungus, morphological- and molecularly, on its species level, as well as to verify the efficiency of its in vitro and in vivo biological control. Pathogenicity to different treatments were applied: T1 - Contact + Fusarium sp.; T2 - Contact + film coating + Fusarium sp.; T3 - film coating + Fusarium sp.; T4 film coating; T5 - Contact PDA and T6 - No treatment. Morphological characterization was performed using a specific identification key for the genus Fusarium, and the molecular identification, we sequenced three genomic regions of isolate, which are: ITS, elongation factor 1-α and beta-tubulin. In tests of biological control used is Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus subtilis in the commercial forms Agrotrich Plus® and Rizolyptus®, respectively. The control tests were performed in vitro by the method of paired comparison of cultures (pathogen x antagonist) and in vivo tests were carried out in nursery conditions. Fusarium s species that was identified on the seeds was characterized as Fusarium sambucinum, which is pathogenic to P. elliottii, when the seeds are inoculated via contact to the fungal culture during 48 hours. Microbilization of seeds with Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma spp. provided improvement on the germination potential of them, and, in the case of Agrotrich Plus®, reduced the incidence of rot agent fungi, such as Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp.. The antagonistic agents were efficient on the in vitro control of F. sambucinum. Rizolyptus® stood out against the pathogen on the in vivo biocontrol test; it reduced seedlings losses and increased values of their length, as well as, of their green and dry masses.