Principais fitonematoides associados à bananeira no Estado de Alagoas

Abstract

Banana (Musa spp.), is one of the most consumed and cultivated fruits in the tropical world. The low productivity and low quality of the Brazilian bananas are largely due to disease problems, among which nematodes is one of them. In Alagoas, there is a lack of information on the nematodes species that affect the crop. Therefore, this study had as objective to update the information on the nematode occurrences in the banana producing areas in the state of Alagoas. The survey was carried out during the period from April 2011 to January 2012. Forty-two samples of soil and roots were collected in banana orchards cultivated with Prata, Pacovan, and Terra varieties from the municipalities of Maragogi, Japaratinga, Porto Calvo, Matriz do Camaragibe, Joaquim Gomes, União dos Palmares, Ibateguara, São José da Laje, Santana do Mundaú, Murici, Cajueiro, Viçosa and Coruripe. The soil and roots samples were analyzed in the Laboratory of Phytopathology of the Federal University of Alagoas with the centrifugal-flotation and maceration-centrifugal flotation methods, respectively. In the processed roots and soil samples, the following frequencies were found: Helicotylenchus (95.2% and 97.6%), Meloidogyne (78.5% and 80.9%), Radopholus (38% and 23.8%) and Pratylenchus (35.7% and 26.1%), respectively. In root samples Helicotylenchus showed the highest average densities (2,359 nematodes/50 g roots) and the maximum (21.200/50g), followed by Radopholus similis (1,359/50g and 13,533/50g), Meloidogyne (810/50g and 8,667/50g) and Pratylenchus (682/50g and 1,300/50g). The high populational densities show the need for research aimed at the management of phytonematodes which infect the banana in this state.