Plant extracts may interfere with the life cycle of pathogens by promoting or inhibiting development. Based on this property, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of aqueous extracts of the COVER plants crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea), brachiaria (Brachiaria ruziziensis), panicum maximum grass (Panicum maximum cv. mombaça), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), pigeon pea dwarf bean (Cajanus cajan.) and stylosanthes (Stylosanthes macrocephala x Stylosanthes capitata) on the mycelial growth, mycelial and carpogenic germination of sclerotia, and ascospore germination of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The stages of the experiment were carried out in a greenhouse, growth chambers and laboratory. The concentrations of the extracts used were 1%, 5%, 10% and 25%. To assess the influence of extracts on the mycelial and carpogenic germination of the sclerotia only the concentration of 25% was used. The results on the mycelial growth showed that the Stylosanthes sp. plant extract was effective for inhibiting the pathogen only at concentration of 25%. For mycelial germination of sclerotia, it was found that with the exception of Stylosanthes sp. the extracts induced germination 12 hours after the experiment. In regard to the germination of ascospores, only the extract from Stylosanthes sp. successfully prevented germination.
White mold; cultural management; ascospores; sclerotia; apothecium