Alternativas de manejo de la pudrición basal causada por el hongo Fusarium spp. en el cultivo de pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus), en el cantón Palora – Morona Santiago

Abstract

The yellow pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus) is a crop of great importance in our country, since it has recently become a very profitable crop economically for the producers of Cantón Palora. However, the transition from wild plant to cultivation has brought with it several agronomic problems, including phytosanitary problems that significantly reduce the production of the plant. Among them are those caused by fungi of the genus Fusarium, which for their control the most used method has been chemical, however, the use of agrochemicals directly affects the quality of soil and water, generating limitations for producers and the environment, which is why more efficient and profitable alternatives have been sought, such as the use of antagonistic microorganisms to prevent and eradicate fungal diseases. For this reason, in the present research we experimented with alternative controls and a traditional one. The research consisted of four treatments, each treatment with 5 replications; giving a total of twenty experimental units, each with 5 yellow pitahaya stalks for a total of one hundred. The treatments consisted of drench type applications of solutions inoculated with Trichoderma and Bacillus subtilis plus a chemical treatment Carboxin (Vitavax) and a control treatment, on plants infected by Fusarium. The chemical treatment proved to be the most efficient in the control of Fusarium, since it showed a lower percentage in incidence and severity of the pathogen, followed by the alternative controls Trichoderma and Bacillus subtilis respectively, which proved to be more economical, but not more effective.