Effect of temperature and photoperiod on the development of fusariosis in pineapples

We examined the incidence of fusariosis in Montes Claros-MG and determined the effect of temperature and photoperiod on the development of Fusarium guttiforme. Four family production units were investigated, from which four isolates of F. guttiforme were isolated. For each isolate, two experiments were set up to assess mycelial growth for 144 h in environments with different temperatures and either a 12 h photoperiod or continuous darkness. To evaluate the development of isolates of F. guttiforme, we used a portion sub-divided randomized block design. The number of conidia produced by each isolate was counted according to the above-mentioned conditions. All production units had occurrence rates ranging from 12.2 to 64.4%. The fungal isolates showed a higher mycelial growth rate when incubated at 25°C under a 12 h photoperiod. However, the production of conidia varied depending on the temperature and on the isolate. With these overall results better understand how the spread of this fungus occurred so quickly. We may use this information to suggest management practices that reduce the incidence of pineapple fusariosis. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]