RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MECHANICAL DAMAGE OCCURRENCE, FUNGICIDE TREATMENT AND PATHOGENS INCIDENCE IN MAIZE SEEDS

Abstract

with the objective of studying the relationship between mechanical damage occurrence, fungicide treatment and pathogens incidence in maize seeds, three seed samples of CO32 hybrid with different levels of mechanical damages were evaluated regarding its physiological and sanitary characteristics, with and without fungicide treatment. Therefore, the three seed samples, without any kind of fungicide treatment were submitted to vigor tests (cold test and accelerated aging) and sanitary tests (where the incidences of Fusarium moniliforme, Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. e Cephalosporium sp. were evaluated). After the three seed samples were treated with the fungicides captan e fludioxionil + metalaxil at commercial rates and again submitted to the vigor tests (cold test and accelerated aging) and sanitary test. The results obtained, showed that there was a reduction of the physiological potential and an increase in the pathogens incidence when the mechanical damage was more severe. Yet, the fungicides had efficient control of the pathogens associated with the seeds regardless of the intensity of the mechanical damage.

Keywords

• chemical treatment
• seed quality
• seed pathology