Photoinactivation of Colletotrichum truncatum, Corynespora cassiicola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia solani in soybean seeds by cationic porphyrins

Abstract

AbstractGrain legume production is of great importance in the world economy, with soybeans being a major agricultural product. Among the main causes of crop losses are diseases caused by pathogens that infect seeds, such as Colletotrichum truncatum, Corynespora cassiicola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia solani. The fungicides used are not fully effective in controlling these diseases, and new control options are necessary. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) may be an alternative. PDI consists of the association of a photosensitizer (PS), light and molecular oxygen aimed at the destruction of microbial cells. Porphyrins and their derivatives are aromatic tetrapyrrolic macrocyclic compounds with photosensitizing capacity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of PDI in the photoinactivation of C. truncatum, C. cassiicola, S. sclerotiorum and R. solani, using a mixture of cationic meso‐tetra‐aryl porphyrins as PS, being the first study to consider this formulation as PS in the photoinactivation of these pathogens. Assays were carried out with soybean seeds artificially inoculated with the different fungi, treated with the PS at 10, 50, 100 and 200 μg/ml and submitted to light under an irradiance of 50 mW/cm2. The assays were set up following the blotter test methodology. The evaluations showed significant reductions in the infection rates of the seeds in relation to the controls. The greatest reductions were 46% for C. truncatum, 95.5% for S. sclerotiorum, 87% for C. cassiicola and 92% for R. solani. The results suggest that PDI can be an important alternative to current control methods against these pathogens.