INDUCTION OF DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN TOMATO PLANTS BY SAPROBIC FUNGI FILTRATES AGAINST EARLY BLIGHT DISEASE

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tomato plants can be attacked by several diseases. The early blight disease causes large losses to tomato growers and requires many applications of fungicide for its control. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of saprobic fungi filtrates on the control of early blight (Alternaria solani) in tomato plants. The treatments consisted of fungi filtrates (Stachylidium bicolor - SBI; Periconia hispidula - PHI; Brachysporiella pulchra - BPU; Myrothecium leucotrichum - MLE; and Pycnoporus sanguineus - PSA) diluted at 20%, a control (water), and acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM). Tomato plants with five leaves were treated with the filtrates, and A. solani was inoculated after three days. The variables analyzed were: area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), and specific activity of the enzymes: catalase, lipoxygenase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase. The SBI filtrate decreased the AUDPC in 80% for the third leaf and 96% for the fourth leaf. Catalase activity increased due to the application of BPU and PHI filtrates, at 96 hours post-inoculation (hpi). Lipoxygenase activity increased in 130%, 72%, 130%, and 81% at 24 hpi when applying the SBI, PHI, MLE, and ASM filtrates, respectively. The application of SBI, BPU, MLE, and PSA filtrates increased lipoxygenase activity in 30%, 26%, 12%, and 22%, respectively, at 120 hpi. Peroxidase activity increased 74% at 120 hpi, when applying the SBI filtrate. Polyphenol oxidase activity was not affected by the treatments. S. bicolor filtrate is efficient to control the severity of the early blight disease in tomato plants.