The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different ethephon rates in the precocity expression of symptoms of black spot caused by Guignardia citricarpa in fruits 'Pêra-Rio' sweet orange, in the orchard located in Conchal, SP. Asymptomatic fruits without fungicides applications and with 20 and 28 weeks after petal fall were collected and taken to the Laboratory of Plant Pathology of FCAV/UNESP, in Jaboticabal/SP, where they were treated with the following ethephon rates: i) 1.57 g L-1; ii) 2.10 g L-1; iii) 2.42 g L-1; iv) (water) (control). For all treatments, Imazalil at 0.25 g L-1 was added to prevent post harvest fungal disease. After the treatments, the fruit were kept in a chamber with a temperature of 25ºC ± 1ºC, during 15 days. Therefore, the fruits were evaluated four times with weekly interval using a scale from 0 (absence of symptoms) to 6 (severe symptoms). The data of disease severity observed in fruits colleted prematurely, under different ethephon rates were compared to those fruits bagged and unbagged remained in orchard until natural maturation. Major symptoms equivalence was verified in fruits with age 20 and 28 weeks, when they were treated with 2.10 g L-1 of ethephon, and evaluated between 28 and 35 days. It is concluded that the use of ethephon in this conditions may cause a precocious expression of symptoms of black spot in fruits with quiescent infections of G. citricarpa with 105 days before of harvest. These results are an alternative of great applicability to precocious detection of citrus black spot.
Citrus sinensis; Phyllosticta citricarpa; ethephon; ethylene
