Fungic incidence in glomeruli and samaras of Casuarina equisetifolia (Casuarinaceae).

Abstract

The casuarina (Casuarina equisetifolia) is an angiosperm belonging to the family Casuarinaceae and is widely used in the establishment of dunes on the seafront, as windbreaks in orchards and in the recovery of degraded areas. However, it has presented problems with seedling mortality in nursery. Samaras can carry microorganisms on their surface or internally, constituting one of the main means of dissemination of plant pathogens. The objective of this study was to identify and evaluate the incidence of fungi associated with glomeruli and casuarina samaras. For this, we collected glomeruli and chambers from parent trees in Santa Maria-RS. In the laboratory, the glomeruli underwent a disinfestation process and were submitted to the filter paper sanity test. The samaras were also submitted to the same test, but comparing with and without asepsis. The experimental design was completely randomized and each treatment consisted of four replicates of 25 (glomeruli/samaras). Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia spp., Alternaria spp., Pestalotiopsis spp., Phoma spp. and Colletotrichum spp. were found in both glomeruli and samaras, possibly indicating transmission from one to another. These fungi are known worldwide for causing diseases in seeds, seedlings and seedlings in nurseries of many forest species.