Fungicides in the management of soybean rust, physiological processes and crop productivity

ABSTRACT Currently, recommendations for the management of Asian soybean rust (ASR) have been based on the application of protective fungicides mixed with triazoles, strobilurins and carboxamides. Thus, this study aimed to assess whether the increased productivity provided by the application of mancozeb is due solely to the fungicidal action of the product or to some physiological changes in the plant and what type of changes these would be. The experiment was conducted from March to June 2015 at the experimental station of the company UDI Research and Development in Uberlândia-MG, using the soybean cultivar 97Y07 RR. Experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replicates and 14 treatments: control, fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin (58.45 + 116.55 g ha-1), azoxystrobin + benzovindiflupyr (90 + 45 g ha-1), trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole (60 + 70 g ha-1), tebuconazole + picoxystrobin (100 + 60 g ha-1), picoxystrobin + cyproconazole (60 + 24 g ha-1), mancozeb (1125 g ha-1), azoxystrobin + tebuconazole + difenoconazole (60 + 120 + 75 g ha-1), and the mixtures: fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin + mancozeb, azoxystrobin + benzovindiflupyr + mancozeb, trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole + mancozeb, tebuconazole + picoxystrobin + mancozeb, picoxystrobin + cyproconazole + mancozeb, and azoxystrobin + tebuconazole + difenoconazole + mancozeb, at the same doses mentioned above. The first application of treatments was performed in R1 growth stage, in the absence of symptoms/signs of the disease. Applications, intervals and use of adjuvants were established according to the manufacturers’ recommendations. Disease severity, concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids, and gas exchange were evaluated. These data were used to plot the progress curve for each variable (AUPC). At the end of the crop cycle, the number of pods per plant, grains per pod, productivity and thousand grain weight (TGW) were quantified. In conclusion, addition of mancozeb to the mixtures fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin, azoxystrobin + benzovindiflupyr, trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole and tebuconazole + picoxystrobin potentiated ASR control; mancozeb increased the AUPC for concentration of photosynthetic pigments; when added to the mixture azoxystrobin + tebuconazole + difenoconazole, mancozeb increased the AUPC for chlorophyll concentration; and when added to fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin it raised the AUPC for intrinsic water use efficiency and TGW.