EFECTO ANTIFÚNGICO in vitro DE EXTRACTOS METANÓLICOS DE Capsicum spp. EN Moniliophthora roreri

One of the main plant protection problems in the production of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) in Latin America and Mexico is the frosty pod rot, caused by Moniliophthora roreri. This phytopathogen causes annual production damage of over 75%. The secondary metabolites of the Capsicum genus have antifungal effects, and can therefore be used to control M. roreri. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the in vitro effect of methanolic extracts (ME) of three Capsicum species on M. roreri. The ME extracted from immature C. chinense, C. frutescens fruits and two morphotypes of C. annuum var. glabriusculum were tested at two concentrations — 1000 and 2500 mg L-1 and evaluated for the inhibition of mycelial growth, sporulation and the viability of conidia produced by M. roreri. Both doses (treatments) were established under a complete randomized experimental design with five replicates; each Petri dish was one experimental unit. Data were analyzed with an ANOVA and the means were compared using Tukey’s test (p ≤ 0.05). Moniliophthora roreri was sensitive to the ME of the three species. The ME of C. annuum var. glabriusculum, in their amashito (AM) and garbanzo (GA) morphotypes at 2500 mg L-1 inhibited mycelial growth by up to 95%. The EM of C. annuum var. glabriusculum AM and GA at 2500 mg L-1 completely inhibited the production of conidia in both concentrations. The EM of C. chinense and C. annuum var. glabriusculum GA inhibited the viability of M. roreri conidia by up to 35%. The in vitro sensitivity of M. roreri to the EM of C. annuum var. glabriusculum AM and GA helps suggest the effect of the extracts on the field.