Author(s):
Carvalho, João Maria da Camara Archer de
Date: 2014
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/7426
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): Castanea sativa; Phytophthora cinnamomi; alternative methods; antagonistic fungi; inhibition; Omphalotus olearius
Description
Mestrado em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
The European chestnut (Castanea sativa) is of great importance in our country through its fruit, the sweet chestnut. The sustainability of our groves is threatened by the high susceptibility of European chestnut to one of the most important diseases associated with this species. The ink disease caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi inflicts considerable damage in the chestnut (roots, trunk and canopy) causing substantial economic losses if not the death of the tree. In recent decades, alternative methods to chemical control have become increasingly important in order to reduce the high economic and environmental costs of the successive application of chemicals. Thus, this work aimed to study and select a control method alternative to chemicals, namely the use of antagonistic fungi or their culture filtrates as biocontrol agents. In vitro tests were performed with the aim of selecting antagonistic fungi. Subsequently, in planta tests were conducted with the aim of studying the applicability of the fungus and cultures filtrates selected. Omphalotus olearius was the most potential fungus in inhibiting, in vitro, either the growth or the sporulation of Phytophthora cinnamomi.