Pedro Martins Ribeiro Júnior

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DOS SISTEMAS DE PRODUÇÃO DE CUCURBITÁCEAS E DA PREVALÊNCIA DE DOENÇAS EM MUNICÍPIOS PERNAMBUCANOS

Cucurbits have great economic, nutritional and social importance in the Brazilian semiarid region. In this region, many factors can result in reduced productivity of these crops, especially fungal and viral diseases. Therefore, knowledge of cucurbits is crucial for proper disease management. The objective of this work was to identify the major diseases of cucurbits grown in some municipalities in the Hinterland of the state of Pernambuco. Thus, plant samples were collected with symptoms in crops in the municipalities of Salgueiro, Serra Talhada, Floresta, Petrolândia, Ibimirim, Custódia and Inajá. A questionnaire was also applied to gather information about the production profile of producers. Seven fungal pathogens infecting cucurbits were identified: Pseudoperonospora cubensis, Colletotrichum sp., Podosphaera xanthii, Rhizoctonia solani, Didymella bryoniae, Fusarium sp. e Alternaria sp., and three viruses as well: Papaya ringspot virus watermelon strain (PRSV-W), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). It was found that in small crops, there is limited search for technical information om cropping, and these crops originate mostly from native seeds, in contrast to medium and large producers, who use improved cultivars. The melon and watermelon crops are the most commercially exploited, while pumpkins are used in subsistence agriculture. As for plant health problems, most respondents reported knowing the main diseases that occur in crops and perform disease control based on personal experience and / or through the help of the technical assistance provided by agricultural stores. In a few cases, in large farms, there was an agronomist to assist in this type of control.

Cercosporiosis resistance in coffee germplasm collection

Cercosporiosis, or brown eye spot, is currently one of the main diseases of the coffee tree. It is caused by Cercospora coffeicola Berk. & Cooke. Nevertheless, genetic resistance to this disease has not yet been explored in any depth. Our objectives (a) were evaluate the response of 124 accessions from the germplasm collection of the Minas Gerais State (GC), Brazil, and eight commercial cultivars of C. arabica to cercosporiosis and (b) determine the best way to perform early progenies selections via controlled greenhouse experiments. Three controlled greenhouse experiments (1–3) were run in different seasons to determine the best way to proceed the selection. The seedlings were inoculated with a four isolates mixture obtained from different regions. The experimental data were analyzed individually (1–3), in a joint analysis, and as repetitions of a randomized complete block design. In each analysis we estimated genetic parameters and E-BLUP (empirical best linear unbiased predictor) genotypic values of the access. There was genetic variability to C. coffeicola resistance among the coffee tree accessions germplasm collection. Therefore, genetic improvements could be obtained by selection. Experimental repetitions in different seasons increase the selection efficiency and reliability of resistant genotypes with low cercosporiosis severity. The genotype Sarchimor MG 8840 showed the highest resistance level followed by Guatenano and the Timor Hybrid UFV 377-34, Timor Hybrid UFV 376-14 BE 5, and Wush–Wush × Timor Hybrid UFV 366-08.