Trichoderma sp. e subprodutos agrícolas no controle do mal do Panamá

Abstract

Banana (Musa spp.) Is one of the most consumed fruits in Brazil and worldwide. Banana orchards are established in all regions of Brazil. Among the diseases that occur in this crop, Panama disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) has been pointed out as a highly destructive disease that limits banana’s worldwide production. The pathogen can survive in the soil for a few decades with resistant structures, the chlamydospores, which makes its control more difficult. It is necessary to develop alternative methods for the management of banana fusarium wilt, since there is no chemical control for this disease and genetic control requires a relatively long period of time for the development and implementation of the resistant varieties, besides being able to present different levels of resistance to the pathogen. Biological control of soil-borne pathogens with antagonistic microorganisms, associated with the use of agricultural byproducts as sources of organic matter, can make banana planting possible, especially of susceptible cultivars such as Maçã and varieties of the Prata subgroup, with have a high market demand. Activities of mycoparasitism, synthesis of antimicrobial compounds, endophytic colonization, and saprophytic growth in soil of fungi from the genus Trichoderma are characteristic that turn them into potential agents for controlling soil-borne diseases such as Panama disease. The incorporation of agricultural byproducts as a source of organic matter in soil promotes soil fertility and disease suppressiveness due to changes in the rhizosphere microbial population. The present work aimed to select antagonists of the genus Trichoderma from banana production areas, and to integrate their inoculation with soil incorporation of agricultural by products to control Foc.