ABSTRACT
At present there are no precise studies quantifying the damages caused by powdery mildews and other foliar diseases for the majority of economically important crops in Brazil. The objective of the present study was to quantify the losses caused by powdery mildews (Microsphaera diffusa) in soybeans in different phenological stages, and to correlate them with the development and yield of the crop. The trials was carried out in the greenhouse and the treatments were: controlled check, noncontrolled check, infection initiated at stage R1-R2, infection initiated at stage R3-R4, infection initiated at stage R5.1-R5.2, infection initiated at stage R5.3-R5.4. The evaluation was done weekly considering the percentage of infected leaf area. The results showed that for the infection beginning at stages R1-R2 and R3-R4 the percentage of affected leaf area was higher (41% and 38%), with consequently lower yields (1,200 and 1,240 kg ha-1). When the infection occurred later at stage R5.3-R5.4, a lower affected leaf area (24%) was observed, and the yield decreased 26%. The results showed that the loss of yield by powdery mildew in cultivar Embrapa 48 ranged from around 26 to 50%, and that the official recommendation for the beginning of control of powdery mildew of soybean, where it presents between 40 and 50% of severity, should be questioned, and other work in this area should be undertaken to determine the loss caused by this disease in the crop.
KEY WORDS
Microsphaera diffusa
; yield;
Glycine Max