Uso de diferentes dosis de extractos etanólicos de ajo para control de moniliasis (moniliophthora roreri) en el cultivo de cacao.

Abstract

The production of cocoa in Ecuador has become one of the fastest growing export businesses, this fruit is known as the golden seed and is recognized worldwide for its special characteristics of color and aroma that are highly appreciated in the elaboration of fine chocolates. One of the most relevant problems in this sector is the drop in production and the decline in quality, due to phytosanitary problems, including fungal diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi, which can reduce production by 90%, In addition to the limited research on control methods, most cocoa producers use synthetic products for disease control, which has caused many fungi to acquire resistance to these products. At present, biological alternatives have been sought for the control of several diseases, such as controls with antagonist fungi, plant extracts that contain secondary metabolites with antifungal action. One of the most lethal diseases due to its rapid growth and spread is moniliasis, caused by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri, which affects the fruit at any stage of development, the first symptoms are the appearance of small irregular dark spots, which later join up to cover the entire surface of the cob, the effects may not be visible externally but its interior is totally infected. This research work proposes the use of ethanolic extracts of garlic (Allium sativum), in different doses to evaluate the mycelial growth of this pathogen in in vitro culture. The treatments used were 5 different doses of garlic ethanolic extracts: 1% extract + 99% culture medium, 2% extract + 98% culture medium, 3% extract + 97% culture medium, 4 % of extract + 96% of culture medium, 5% of extract + 95% of culture medium, likewise a similar dosage of alcohol with the same percentages of the extracts was used as a control to evaluate the incidence of alcohol in the treatment against M. roreri.This research was carried out in the phytopathology laboratory of the Technical University of Machala. In the work to obtain the garlic extract it was necessary to use a mortar and a pistil, after obtaining the solution it was combined with 96% alcohol at a ratio of 1: 2.5. Maceration was estimated to be 48 hours. Under laboratory conditions, treatment 4 (3% garlic ethanolic extract) was the one that presented the best results in controlling the radial growth of M. roreri, it should be noted that in treatments 4, 7, 8, 9 the incidence is applied of alcohol in mycelial growth. These results may be the beginning of new research in the phytosanitary field of biological products for the control of fungal diseases, which will help to obtain healthier products and eliminate the use of synthetic products.