PRUNING TIME IN TWO PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE GUAVA TREE BACTERIAL BLIGHT CONTROL

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this work, two cultural production systems were compared [conventional (CO) and organic (OR)], and its effects in the guava trees (Psidium guajava) bacterial blight (Erwinia psidii) control. The experimental design was in radomized blocks, in split-split-plot arrangement, where it was measured the bacterial disease and the fruits production on the 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 harvests. Four pruning seasons effects were evaluated on the harvests (September, December, March and June) in both production systems. Such systems were constituted of: OR – treatment with bioactive compound (BC), liquid BC and dead coverage, and; CO – chemical fertilization, fungicide and herbicide. In 2007/08, the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) of all the treatments in the OR system was lower (~54-107) than the CO one(~233-298). In the 2007/08 harvest the number of fruits for each plant for all the OR treatments was higher (~146-204) than the CO ones (~57-103). In all the harvests, considering all the treatments within each system, there was a significantly lower AUDPC (~93-184) and higher fruits production (~158-188) in the OR one than the CO one (AUDPC: ~208-476; fruits ~18-104). The pruning induced a higher AUDPC and lower fruits production in both production sytems.