Patogenicidade de fungos associados à sementes de andropogon e caracterização morfológica e molecular de Curvularia lunata

Abstract

Andropogon L. is a forage grass, widely distributed in Cerrado areas and with prolonged drought periods. It presents dense characteristics with large clumps and with plumose inflorescence, with high capacity in the seeds dissemination. In turn, seeds are considered the main sources of shelter and transport of pathogens to disease-free areas. In Tocantins, there are no studies records relate the fungi incidence in Andropogon grass seeds as diseases cause in agricultural importance crops. Likewise, there is no research about the transport, transmissibility and pathogenicity of fungi associated with their seeds. The work aim was evaluate the sanitary quality of Andropogon grass seeds, the fungi transmission by seed-seedlings and the fungis pathogenicity to other species plants of agricultural importance, and also perform the Curvularia sp. morphological and molecular characterization, isolated from Andropogon grass seeds. The experiments were conducted at the Phytopathology Research Laboratory, Biologic Control of Disease Laboratory and green house of Tocantins Federal University. In chapter 1, the blotter test method was used to evaluate seed health with and without disinfestation. The fungi incidence was evaluated from seeds individual analysis using stereoscopic and optical microscope. The seeds germination was evaluated after 10 days after test installation, together with the fungi identification associated with non-germinated seeds. For the detected fungus in the sanitary analysis was evaluated the transmission capacity of seed-seedling. The fungi pathogenicity from the Andropogon seeds grass was evaluated by inoculation in the plant itself and was also evaluated the ability of these fungi to infect other plants of economic interest. In chapter 2, the morphological identification was performed from macro and micromorphological observations using as basis the characteristics described in literature regarding the aspect of the colony and conidia of Curvularia sp. Molecular characterization was performed from DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing gene Clg2p region. Transmission was evaluated from seed sowing whitout treatment with fungicides, where at the end of 40 days typical leaf spot symptoms of Curvularia. The pathogenicity was evaluated from the inoculation of conidia suspension on leaves of healthy plants, observing at the end 10 days, if there were symptoms of the pathogen. Were identified and quantified in the seeds of Andropogon L. fungi of the genera Alternaria sp., Bipolaris sp., Curvularia sp., Fusarium sp., Phoma sp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp. and Rhizopus sp. The seed disinfestation reduced the fungi present in the seeds. The fungus Curvularia sp. it was transmitted seed to Andropogon plant. Andropogon L. seeds carried and spread fungi the once inoculated caused infection in the plant itself and other economically important crops, such as rice, cowpea, watermelon, melon, corn, sorghum and grasses marandu, mombaça, piatã and quicuia. Based on morphological and molecular markers, the fungus identified with high incidence associated with Andropogon seeds collected in different agricultural producing regions, is Curvularia lunata. C. lunata is transmitted to plants of Andropogon by seed, being pathogenic to this species of forage grass, causing foliar necrotic spots.