Beet cultivation has intensified due to in natura consumption and industrial processing of canned food. In the region of Alto Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, a large part of beet production comes from small farmers, who grow it after the onion crop, sowing it during the spring/summer. However, in this period of the year, Cercospora leaf spot has been noted to compromise the production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the progression of this disease in the following genotypes: All Green, Stays Green, Early Wonder, Cabernet, Boro, Modana and Itapuã, as well as to evaluate its severity in two sowing periods during the spring. The two assays were carried out at Epagri Experimental Station in Ituporanga, Santa Catarina State, and established at 30-day interval between sowing periods. Experimental design was in randomized blocks with four replicates. To evaluate the disease severity, a diagrammatic scale was used for ten plants at random, which were previously demarcated. Data on severity underwent mixed model analysis, yielding area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), infection rate and final disease severity. There were no differences in the disease progression between the evaluated genotypes for both spring sowing periods under the conditions of Alto Vale do Itajaí, Santa Satarina State, Brazil.
Beta vulgaris; genotypes; epidemiology; Cercospora beticola
