Evaluación de extractos de macroalgas en el cultivo de pimiento (Capsicum annum L.), para la prevención de enfermedades foliares

Abstract

The cultivation of peppers (Capsicum annuum) has become an important sector in recent years, with the area under cultivation increasing by 20%, mainly in the Ecuadorian highlands under greenhouse conditions. This study was carried out in the Izamba parish of the Ambato canton, in an established 80-day-old pepper crop, two macroalgae extracts were evaluated at three different concentrations (1%, 5%, 10%), in order to prevent the presence of foliar diseases, for which three applications were made with a frequency of 15 days, before each application the variables of incidence, severity of the diseases present were recorded, using the Imagenj software to determine the severity, a record of the diseases observed, and at the end of the test the variables leaf color were recorded (using the Physics Toolbos application), and chlorophyll content, the results obtained showed that the concentrations of 5% and 10% for the two extracts are statistically significant, with the 10% concentration being the one that reports the best results, with the lowest values for incidence (6% and 4%) and severity (0.12% and 0.04%) in the third application, a color of more intense leaf and a nitrogen and chlorophyll content (6% N and 43% chlorophyll), higher than the other treatments studied, thus giving as a final result, that by using algae extracts at a concentration of 10% the plants achieve greater resistance to foliar diseases, being an alternative for pepper producers in the area under study.