QUANTIFICATION OF DAMAGE AND YIELD LOSSES AND MANAGEMENT OF ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES IN CONILON COFFEE

Fernando Domingo Zinger,Willian Bucker Moares,Lilian Katiany Castello Rabello Zinger,Fabio Ramos Alves,Guilherme De Resende Camara

doi:10.1590/1983-21252021v34n205rc

Abstract

ABSTRACT Commercial exploitation of the coffee crop is one of the most important activities in the world’s agricultural sector. One of the main phytosanitary problems affecting the crop is the presence of Meloidogyne incognita. Several measures have been tested for the management of this pathogen, albeit with low efficiency. The objective of this work was to quantify the damage and losses and to manage M. incognita race 1 with Pochonia chlamydosporia and Trichoderma harzianum biological nematicides, comparing them to a chemical nematicide. The experiment was carried out in a commercial area naturally infested by the nematode and cultivated with the conilon coffee variety ‘Vitória INCAPER 8142’, clone V02. The treatments were tested with Carbofuran nematicide and with biological nematicides composed of P. chlamydosporia Pc-10 and T. harzianum ESALQ 1306. The biological products were applied alone or in combination. The lowest NPF (final nematode population) occurred in plants treated with P. chlamydosporia and Carbofuran. P. chlamydosporia was the most effective biological agent in the management of M. incognita. There was a reduction in production with an increase in the nematode population. The highest application costs of management methods for M. incognita race 1 per hectare were for three and two applications of Carbofuran and three applications of P. chlamydosporia + T. harzianum. The treatments with lowest application costs were one application of T. harzianum and one application of P. chlamydosporia. It was concluded that all treatments were efficient for the management of M. incognita race 1, causing a decrease in the roots and soil population.

Highlights

Espírito Santo is the second most important Brazilian state in coffee production, and the first in the production of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A
Due to the serious problem that M. incognita race 1 represents for conilon coffee growing worldwide, this research aimed to quantify the damage and yield losses caused by M. incognita race 1 in conilon coffee and to test different strategies of conilon coffee management involving different numbers of applications of biological nematicides based on P. chlamydosporia and T. harzianum, applied alone and in combination, and the use of a chemical nematicide in plants grown in a commercial area
The harvest consisted of a 24-month Conilon coffee bush variety, ‘Vitória INCAPER 8142’ clone V02, grown in rows, with spacing of 2.80 m x 1.20 m between rows and plants, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Espírito Santo is the second most important Brazilian state in coffee production, and the first in the production of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner (conilon coffee), in which it stands out as the most economically and socially important agricultural activity for the development of the state (CONAB, 2017). About fifteen species of Meloidogyne spp. have been described as parasites of this crop, with M. exigua, M. paranaensis and M. incognita the most harmful ones (OLIVEIRA et al, 2011). To manage Meloidogyne spp. in the field, synthetic nematicides are generally used; due to their high toxicity, risk of environmental contamination and inconsistent field-level results (NASR, 2015), alternative management practices have been researched, such as the use of antagonist fungi (RODRIGUES et al, 2016). Among the fungi with potential use in agriculture for nematode management are Pochonia chlamydosporia Zare & Gams Verticillium chlamydosporium Goddard) (VIGGIANO; FREITAS; LOPES, 2014), and Trichoderma harzianum Rifai (MENDOZA et al, 2015)

Objectives

Methods

Results