Sanitary and physiological quality, methods of detection and treatment of seeds of peach palm/Qualidade sanitaria e fisiologica, metodos de deteccao de Fusarium spp. E tratamento de sementes de pupunheira

Basal stem rotting (BSR), caused by Fusarium spp., has been observed in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth. var. gasipaes Henderson) plantations in Brazil since 2000. The disease is a limiting factor to peach palm farming, damaging plants of different ages. The pathogen presence has been verified in seeds. The objectives of this study were: to evaluate the sanitary and physiological quality of eight commercial lots of peach palm seeds from Porto Velho, state of Rondonia, in Brazil; to compare two detection methods for Fusarium spp. in peach palm seeds; to evaluate pathogenicity and to compare aggressiveness of Fusarium spp. isolates from peach palm seeds; and to evaluate the chemical treatment of two peach palm seed lots for controlling Fusarium spp., about their effects on: a) sanitary effect; b) germination and vigor. The Fusarium spp. pathogenic may be transmitted by seeds to seedlings causing BSR disease. The paperboard methodology for Fusarium spp. detection proved to be more efficient for recovering this pathogen in peach palm seeds. The Chlorothalonil + Thiophanate Methyl and Thiophanate Methyl fungicides achieved the effective control over the target pathogen Fusarium spp. in peach palm seeds. Fusarium oxysporum and Fusariumproliferatum isolated from seed and seedling, respectively, were pathogenic to peach palm. Keywords: peach palm; plant pathology; seed pathology. Desde o ano 2000 e verificada a ocorrencia da doenca podridao da base do estipe (PBE), causada por Fusarium spp., em plantios de pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes Kunth. var. gasipaes Henderson). A PBE pode se tornar limitante para o cultivo da pupunheira, ocorrendo em plantas com diferentes idades. Temse verificado a presenca do patogeno em sementes. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: avaliar a qualidade sanitaria e fisiologica de oito lotes comerciais de sementes de pupunheira provenientes da regiao de Porto Velho--RO; avaliar dois metodos de deteccao de Fusarium spp. em sementes; avaliar a patogenicidade e agressividade de isolados de Fusarium spp. obtidos de sementes ; avaliar o tratamento quimico de dois lotes de sementes de pupunheira para o controle de Fusarium spp. Houve grande variacao entre os lotes de sementes de pupunheira quanto a germinacao, vigor e emergencia de plantulas. Fusarium spp. pode ser transmitido das sementes para plantulas causando a doenca PBE. A metodologia do papel-cartao para deteccao de Fusarium spp. mostrou-se mais eficaz na recuperacao deste patogeno em sem