CERCOSPORA LEAF SPOT CONTROL OPTIONS IN CHILI PEPPER GROWN IN LOWLAND AREA

Abstract

The search for a healthier life presupposes, among other conditions, the consumption of good quality products. This finding has led to a growing expansion in the consumption of food produced without the use of pesticides. The effect of alternative products on the control of brown eye spot caused by Cercospora capsici in pepper plants in a lowland area was evaluated. In chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) plants, sprays were carried out with Viçosa syrup (1.5%), Bordalesa syrup (1.5%), sulfur-calcium syrup (1%), sodium bicarbonate (0.2 M), of neem (5%), raw milk (20%), thiophanate methyl (0.7 g/L) and water (control treatment). The severity and area under the disease progress curve (AACPD), plant crown height and diameters, yield, length, diameter and average fruit weight were determined. Bordalesa syrup at 1.5%, syrup at Viçosa at 1.5%, neem oil at 0.5% and raw milk at 20% are efficient in reducing the severity of cercospora leaf spot in hot peppers cultivated in download area. Bordalesa syrup is more promising for disease control, because in addition to being efficient in reducing the severity of the disease, it is easier to prepare and has a lower relative cost of obtaining. In addition to not causing toxicity to the environment, the applicator and the consumer, the use of this syrup meets the demands of pepper growers who seek to produce pepper not only profitably but also sustainably.