Management of Pseudopeziza medicaginis (Lib.)Sacc. in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) crop

Abstract

Introduction: Alfalfa cultivation covers a significant area in the Sierra region of Ecuador, and is widely used for animal feed and as a dietary supplement in juices for humans. Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate alternative products for the management of leaf pox (Pseidopeziza medicaginis (Lib.)Sacc.) in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) crops. Which produces yellowing, accompanied by small chlorotic rings on the leaflet and defoliation of the plant. Method: The products evaluated were: (Copper Oxychloride + Mancozeb) (P1) in doses of (2; 2.5; 3 g/L) and (marine algae extract) (P2) in doses of (2.5; 3, 5; 4 g/L) applied at 20, 40 and 60 days after cutting in an established 270-day-old alfalfa crop. The experimental design used was in divided plots, with 2 products and 3 doses plus a control for each product, an analysis of variance and the Tukey test at 5 % were performed. Results: Based on these analyses, it is prolonged that the treatment with the lowest incidence of P. medicaginis was P1D2 (Oxhitane, dose 2.5g/L) with a value of 15.40 %. In severity, the lowest value was for treatment P1D3 (Oxhitane, dose 3g/L) with a mean of 6.91 %. In the analysis of the costs per treatment, the one that had the greatest investment was P2D3 (Algimar 6000, dose 4g/L) with a value of 0.45 USD and in benefit/cost the treatment with the best value was the Control with 1.36 being the one of higher profitability. Conclusion: The application of copper oxychloride plus mancozeb reduces the incidence and severity of P. medicaginis in alfalfa crops.