Foliar application of calcium chloride and calcium silicate decreases white mold intensity on dry beans

Abstract

White mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) is the most important common bean disease during the fall-winter season in Brazil. Different control strategies are necessary to control this disease and increase bean yield in infested areas. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of application of calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) and calcium silicate (CaSiO 3 ) on white mold control on common bean. The experiment was carried out during the 2006 fall-winter season in Viçosa MG, Brazil, in a field naturally infested with sclerotia. Both CaCl 2 and CaSiO 3 were applied at 45 days after emergence (DAE) (early bloom) over the plants with a hand sprayer (800 L ha -1 ) at the rates of 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg L -1 or at 45 and 55 DAE at 300 mg L -1 . Two additional treatments were used: water (untreated control) and the fungicide fluazinam (0.5 L ha -1 ) applied at 45 and 55 DAE. Both incidence and severity of white mold were significantly reduced with application of CaCl 2 and CaSiO 3 , but there was no effect on yield. Fluazinam reduced significantly the disease incidence and severity by 52% and 73%, respectively, and increased the yield by 31%. Keywords: Phaseolus vulgaris, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, integrated management, alternative control. RESUMO Aplicação foliar de cloreto de cálcio e silicato de cálcio reduz a intensidade do mofo-branco do feijoeiroO mofo-branco (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) é a principal doença do feijoeiro no cultivo de outono-inverno no Brasil. O emprego de diferentes estratégias é necessário para controlar a doença e aumentar o rendimento em áreas infestadas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar o efeito da aplicação de cloreto de cálcio (CaCl 2 ) e de silicato de cálcio (CaSiO 3 ) no controle do mofo-branco do feijoeiro. O experimento foi conduzido no outono-inverno de 2006, em Viçosa MG, em área naturalmente infestada com escleródios de S. sclerotiorum. Os produtos foram aplicados no início da floração, com um pulverizador manual (800 L ha -1 ), nas doses de 100, 200, 300 e 400 mg L -1 , ou no início da floração e 10 dias após, na dose de 300 mg L -1 . Esses tratamentos foram comparados com a aplicação de água (testemunha) e do fungicida fluazinam (0,5 L ha -1 ) aplicado no início da floração e 10 dias após. A incidência e a severidade do mofo-branco foram significativamente reduzidas com a aplicação de CaCl 2 e CaSiO 3 , sem efeito significativo no rendimento da cultura. O fungicida reduziu a severidade e a incidência da doença em 52% e 73%, respectivamente, e aumentou o rendimento em 31%. Palavras-chave: Phaseolus vulgaris, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, manejo integrado, controle alternativo.More than 400 plant species including dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are susceptible to white mold, a disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary (Bolland & Hall, 1994). Approximately 35% of dry beans harvested in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, are produced in sprinkler irrigated areas during the fall-winter period. Most of these areas are infested with sclerotia of S. sclerotio...

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