Abstract
White mold disease, caused by fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary., is a disease hard to control due to the high amount of sclerotia produced, which guarantees its survival in the soil for years leading to significant yield losses. Alternative techniques to control the pathogen have been researched, including homeopathy. The present work aimed to evaluate the in vitro antifungal effect of homeopathic medicines on S. sclerotiorum mycelial growth. Homeopathic medicines Sulphur, fungal sclerotium Nosode and Calcarea carbonica, in 30CH, 200CH and 1000CH dynamizations were tested. Assays were carried out in a completely randomized design, with four repetitions. Experiments were performed through the addition of homeopathic medicines on the surface of plates containing culture medium, followed by insertion of a disc containing fungus mycelia and incubation. Control treatment received no homeopathic medicine. The mycelial progression was monitored by seven halo diameter measurements during experiment period. All homeopathic medicines tested and their dynamizations were able to inhibit partially the development of the fungus. Calcarea carbonica at the dynamization of 1000 CH showed the best inhibitory effect on S. sclerotiorum, which under its effect produced a mycelial halo 40% smaller than the control treatment.
Highlights
The white mold is a disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary fungus, a pathogen difficult to control due to the production of high amounts of sclerotia, a resistant structure that allows the fungus to survive on soil for long periods (Meyer, Campos, Godoy, & Utiamada, 2014)
The Nosode homeopathy controls the disease by the containment of its causative agent, Calcarea carbonica was chosen due to ability to treat wilting, one of the symptoms presented by the attack of white mold (Bonato et al, 2007), and Sulphur is indicated for fungal diseases and plant tissue damage (Oliveira et al, 2014)
The experimental design was completely randomized with three homeopathic medicines - Nosode, Sulphur and Calcarea carbonica, all in three different dynamizations – 30CH, 200CH and 1000CH, prepared in 70% ethanol solution, plus the control treatment, totaling 10 treatments
Summary
The white mold is a disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary fungus, a pathogen difficult to control due to the production of high amounts of sclerotia, a resistant structure that allows the fungus to survive on soil for long periods (Meyer, Campos, Godoy, & Utiamada, 2014). It is considered a pathogen of great importance and concern, since it occurs in temperate, tropical and subtropical regions, and due to its ability to infect different plant hosts (Bolton, Thomma, & Nelson, 2006). Sulphur and Calcarea carbonica, in the dynamizations of 30CH, 200CH and 1000CH, over the S. sclerotiorum growth
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