Bactérias promotoras de crescimento no controle biológico da ferrugem asiática da soja

Abstract

Bacteria that promote plant growth are already used as tools for sustainable agricultural production in Brazil, although still in a timid way when compared to European countries. The market is dominated by inoculants of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, followed by pesticides of microbiological origin, which does not reach the full potential of this tool with regard to market and environmental issues in the world agricultural sector. The use of growth-promoting microorganisms in agriculture satisfies an increasing demand for agricultural products with less environmental impact and less risk to human health when compared to traditional methods. Soy stands out as one of the most important crops in the economy of Brazil, being Asian soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the most important disease in the crop, with high annual cost of control and high destructive capacity due to great severity and high rate of inoculum survival in the field. Growth-promoting bacteria have as one of their indirect promotion mechanisms the ability to exercise biological control of diseases through the production of bioactive antifungal compounds that prevent the germination of the pathogen's reproductive structures, preventing or delaying infection by the pathogen, which culminates in reducing the severity of the disease.