Autor(es): Matias, Pedro ; Guerreiro David Coelho, Luísa Isabel ; Reis, Mário
Data: 2024
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/26271
Origem: Sapientia - Universidade do Algarve
Assunto(s): Biological control; Drainage; Reuse; Disinfection; Closed hydroponic system
Soilless cultivation is increasingly common, but the nutrient-rich drainage from substrate cultivation is often discarded. However, drainage can be safely reused if previously disinfected. Slow sand filtration (SSF) is a lowcost, ecological, and effective method for water disinfection, primarily through biological control. Enhancing SSF with antagonistic microorganisms is not well-studied. Additionally, SSF has not been tested to control Rhizoctonia solani, , a phytopathogen that can be spread by irrigation water. Therefore, the objective of his work was to test the efficacy of a slow sand filter improved through the inoculation of the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma atroviride, , evaluating its suppression capacity against Rhizoctonia solani spread by the irrigation water in a closed substrate cultivation of cucumber ( Cucumis sativus). ). Five experiments were conducted, testing the presence and absence of a sand filter, T. atroviride, , and R. solani in each trial. Median disease severity was expressed on a scale of 1-5. The improved SSF increased disease control percentage by 49% compared to SSF alone and by 86% compared to no disease control method. In some experiments, SSF with T. atroviride totally controlled R. solani. . The results confirm that biologically enhanced SSF with T. atroviride can effectively disinfect drainage in closed soilless cultivation systems infected with R. solani.
