Uso de aceites esenciales de plantas aromáticas en el manejo de la moniliasis (Moniliophthora roreri) en el cultivo de cacao

Abstract

In the present study, the effectiveness of organic fungicides in the control of Moniliasis in cocoa was evaluated. Six different treatments were tested on ears. The treatments included the application of essential oils of Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), alone and combined with Kupper, an adjuvant.

Treatments that include Rosemary EO (T1) and Thyme EO (T3) at a dose of 5 ml/L, as well as treatment only with Kupper (T5) at 6.25 ml/L, present the highest percentages of healthy ears, being statistically similar and grouped in category "a" according to the Tukey test. The treatments that combine AE Rosemary or AE Thyme with Kupper (T2 and T4) also exhibit high percentages of healthy ears, but are classified in group "ab", without significant differences with group "a". The control treatment (T6) has the lowest percentage of healthy ears, grouping into category "b". Regarding diseased ears, treatments with Rosemary EO and Thyme EO show the lowest percentages, classifying them in group "c". The control treatment, for its part, has the highest percentage of diseased ears, placing it in group "b".

As time passes, some treatments show a more pronounced trend toward reducing diseased pods and increasing healthy pods, suggesting that they could be more effective in managing cocoa moniliasis.

These findings have important implications for cocoa production by emphasizing the usefulness of organic fungicides in improving crop quality and productivity.