Associação do fungicida biológico bombardeiro com diferentes fungicidas químicos sistêmicos para o controle de ferrugem no cafeeiro (Hemileia vastatrix).

Coffee rust, caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, is the most significant disease in coffee farming, resulting in major productivity losses. Although chemical management is effective, it is harmful to the environment and human health, due to the high consumption of pesticides in Brazil. Furthermore, the high costs and resistance of fungi to chemicals drive the search for more sustainable methods. The need for alternative methods to control rust, with less environmental impact, is a constant challenge for researchers. Thus, the work was developed on the coffee farm at the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais-Campus Bambuí, whose cultivar is Rubi, 12 years old and 2 years since the last harvest in 2021, at a dense spacing of 3.0 x 0.70 meters. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, with five treatments and four replications, considering a balanced experiment. Each plot consisted of a row of plants with ten plants in the row, with the eight central plants considered useful. The incidence and severity of rust were evaluated monthly from the beginning of october 2023 until the end of february 2024, observing the symptoms on eight leaves per plant, in the middle third at random, of the third pair of leaves. Leaves, on both sides of the coffee tree, totaling 64 leaves, on eight plants, per useful plot, with the percentage of rust severity on the leaves being recorded. The treatments consisted of management programs with changes in sequence, dose and type of product. After the evaluations, it was found that no statistically significant differences were observed between the treatments where application was made, all of which were lower to the control. Therefore, we conclude that biological control with the fungicide Bombardeiro is effective for rust (Hemileia vastatrix).