NATIVE Trichoderma STRAINS FOR THE CONTROL OF GREY MOULD (Botrytis cinerea Pers.) IN FRUITS AND FLOWERS OF BLUEBERRY (Vaccinium corymbosum L.)

Arestegui-Cantoral Y.C.; Gaslac-Zumaeta E.; Leon-Ttacca B. · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems (2024) · DOI: 10.56369/tsaes.5072

Resumen

Background. Gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. is a phytosanitary problem in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). It is characterized for affecting soft tissues (flowers and fruits) in the field and in the post-harvest stage, reducing crop yield. This has motivated to the search for native strains of Trichoderma that are effective in biological control. Objective. To determine the effect of 19 native Trichoderma strains on the control of gray mold on flowers and fruits of blueberry under laboratory conditions. Methodology. Under a complete randomized experimental design, mycoparasitism and antibiosis tests were carried out to evaluate colonization and mycelial inhibition of the pathogen, respectively, using the dual confrontation method and production of secondary metabolites. For the bioassays, a suspension of 1×106 conidia mL-1 per strain was sprayed on blueberry flowers and fruits. Disease incidence and severity were evaluated. Data were analyzed with the statistical program InfoStat. Results. All Trichoderma strains completely colonized the pathogen, being considered as aggressive mycoparasites and inhibited the mycelial growth of the pathogen up to 42.74%. Likewise, the application of Trichoderma spore suspension had inhibitory effects on gray mold, highlighting the strain HE- ArT161 that reduced the incidence (66.67% and 20%) and severity (34% and 12%), respectively in flowers and fruits. Implications. The use of these native strains of Trichoderma may contribute to future research in the field where they can be incorporated for an integrated management of the disease. Conclusion. These Trichoderma isolates against B. cinerea showed in vitro control, stimulating mycelial inhibition of the pathogen and reducing the development of disease lesions. © the authors.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas; Universidad Nacional de Cañete