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Apple orchards in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and
Paraná, the three southern states, which account for more than
90% of the production of apples in the Country, are facing serious
problems froma serious incidence of European canker, or Neonec-
tria galligena, disease caused by the fungus Neonectria ditíssima,
which could even cause total loss to the orchard. According to Gil-
bert Berndt, agronomic engineer and client manager at Bayer, the
best manner to deal with the problem is prevention.
As it is a quarentenary disease, there is little information about
its control in Brazil’s climate conditions. According to him, the gen-
eration of this information is necessary if the losses caused by the
disease are to be reduced. “Once the disease strikes, without any
control, it could affect the farmer’s entire crop. There is no cure for
it. It can be treated, but a reduction in production is inevitable”,
says Berndt. “Therefore, prevention is the best solution and, in this
case, we recommend the first fungicide application during blos-
soming, in spring, and the second, fifteen days later”. At a second
stage, when the leaves start to fall, the agronomist explains, an ap-
plication is recommended once 10% of the leaves have dropped,
thenwhen50%havedroppedand, finally, when the trees have lost
90% of the leaves. Our main product for preventing the European
canker is a systemic fungicide known as Aliette”, he concludes.
Phytopathology doctor Rosa Maria Valdebenito Sanhueza,
technician in charge of the Proterra research center, an agronom-
ic research institution based in Rio Grande do Sul, the European
canker is sometimes only detected after ten years, causing seri-
ous problems to rural producers, in spite of being a disease with
remarkable symptoms. “It can affect the trunk and the new buds,
causing these structures to choke to death, making it impossible
for the plant to develop, besides causing the fruits to rot”, the re-
searcher warns. She recommends the permanent elimination of
all affected branches in order to prevent the disease from spread-
ing, besides preventivemanagement of the orchards.
European
canker
threats
apple orchards
Diseasehasthepotentialtocause
hugelossestoappleorchardsin
SouthBrazil;preventivetreatment
isthebestcontroloption
duto para a prevenção do Cancro europeu é o fungicida sistê-
mico Aliette”, finaliza.
Para a doutora em fitopatologia Rosa Maria Valdebenito Sa-
nhueza, responsável técnica do centro de pesquisa do Proterra,
instituição de pesquisa agronômica situada no Rio Grande do Sul,
o Cancro europeu pode demorar até 10 anos para ser identifica-
do, causando sérios problemas para o produtor rural, embora seja
uma doença com sintomas marcantes. “Ela pode afetar o tronco,
os ramos principais e os ramos novos, causando estrangulamento
dessas estruturas, impossibilitando o desenvolvimento da planta
e podendo causar podridão da fruta”, alerta a pesquisadora. Ela
aconselha que omanejo da doença se fundamente na eliminação
permanente dos ramos infectados, para evitar a disseminação da
praga, alémdomanejo preventivo dos pomares.
