Abstract
ABSTRACT Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is the etiologic agent of “Ceratocystis wilt of cacao”, an irreversible disease that affects the vascular system of the plant. The management of the disease is difficult and economic and alternative solutions are needed. The medicinal plants compounds are known to have antimicrobial activity, and they could be an alternative choice in the C. cacaofunesta control. Considering this, this work aimed to verify the in vitro antifungal activity of aqueous and alcoholic solutions of Adiantum latifolium leaves on C. cacaofunesta. Plant material was collected at Atlantic Forest biome in cacao cultivation area in South of Bahia state. Aqueous and ethanolic solutions were made by boiling and maceration in 70% ethanol, respectively. After filtration, they were added to culture medium at 1, 5 and 10% dilution. A 7 mm disc colony of C. cacaofunesta was inoculated in the middle of the well containing Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) and the mycelial growth was observed. Controls consisted on SDA with sterile water or 70% ethanol at the same dilution of treatments, and Tebuconazole at 4 μg.mL-1. Neither aqueous nor ethanolic solutions inhibited the mycelial growth. However, aqueous solution presence induced a higher mycelial growth rate. Conversely, aqueous solution treatment induced mycelial growth. Tebuconazole showed important mycelial growth inhibition and it could be considered in C. cacaofunesta propagation control in areas where genetic selection or handling management still fail.
Highlights
Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is the etiologic agent of “Ceratocystis wilt of cacao”, an irreversible disease that affects the vascular system of the plant
Ceratocystis wilt is a fungal disease characterized by wilting and death of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) (OLIVEIRA; LUZ, 2005)
Searching for new possibilities to handle with Ceratocystis, medicinal plant metabolites have been considered as excellent options due to easy access, low cost and less or no toxicity to the environment (STANGARLIN et al, 1999; FIORI et al, 2000; VENTUROSO et al, 2011)
Summary
Ceratocystis cacaofunesta is the etiologic agent of “Ceratocystis wilt of cacao”, an irreversible disease that affects the vascular system of the plant. Esse trabalho se propôs a verificar in vitro o potencial antifúngico das soluções aquosa e alcóolica de Adiantum latifolium sobre C. cacaofunesta. O antifúngico Tebuconazol apresentou efeito redutor importante do crescimento micelial e pode ser uma alternativa no controle da propagação do C. cacaofunesta em locais onde a seleção genética e o manejo adequado de instrumentos no momento da poda apresentam falhas. Fungicides, hygienic techniques (OLIVEIRA; LUZ, 2005) and genetic resistance selection of cacao trees (SILVA et al, 2012) have been considered in Ceratocystis wilt management; the short period between appearance of the disease and plant death turns this disease control difficult (SILVA et al, 2012) and research in this area are still needed.
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