ECOLOGICAL CHEMICAL CONTROL OF CURVULARIA IN ARUGULA UNDER ORGANIC SYSTEM

Abstract

Arugula (Eruca sativa) is a vegetable whose cultivation has been growing in Brazil, appreciated for its spicy flavor, nutritional, and medicinal properties. However, the increasing incidence of the fungus Curvularia sp. has caused economic losses to the crop, compromising its productivity. The absence of registered pesticides for controlling the fungus under field conditions for this crop has encouraged the search for alternative control methods, aiming to reduce both production losses and the use of agrochemicals. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of ecological fungicides in controlling arugula curvularia in organic production system. For this purpose, the experiment was conducted at Sítio Ecológico Seridó, in Rio Branco – AC, in a protected environment under organic cultivation. The experimental design adopted was randomized blocks, with five treatments and four replications. The treatments were: T1: control (water), T2: Bordeaux mixture (0.5%), T3: lime sulfur (4%), T4: citronella oil (1%) and T5: nim oil (1%). The fungus Curvularia sp. was isolated, multiplied, and inoculated in the field. The variables evaluated were total fresh shoot mass (TFSM), commercial fresh mass (CFM), commercial dry mass (CDM), productivity, disease incidence, and bolting. Data were subjected to ANOVA and means comparison by Tukey's test at 5% probability. The results indicated no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) among treatments for productivity and crop development variables, including TFSM, CFM, and CDM. However, it was found that the incidence of Curvularia sp. varied among treatments (p<0.05), being lower in the citronella oil treatment (23.94%) and higher in the Bordeaux mixture (44.31%), suggesting lower efficacy of the latter in controlling the fungus. Nim oil and lime sulfur showed intermediate incidences and did not differ statistically from the control. Although alternative products did not significantly impact arugula productivity, the lower incidence of the pathogen observed in the treatment with citronella oil suggests that this is a viable option for the ecological management of the disease in the crop.