Bioactivity of the aqueous extract of saffron in the mycelial development of Phytophthora capsici

Abstract

The use of pesticides has led to several problems for human health and the environment. The
objective of this work was to evaluate the alternative control of phytopathogen Phytophthora
capsici in vitro using doses of aqueous safflower extract. The experiment consisted of 5
treatments with 5 replicates in a completely randomized design. The analyzed variables were
mycelial growth rate index (IVCM) and percentage of growth inhibition (PIC). Statistical analysis
consisted of a linear regression analysis. The highest IVCM was observed for the control,
and the lowest for the concentration 0.1%, from which it presented increasing IVCM values
for the other doses. For PIC, the doses, except the control, inhibited fungus growth. Thus, the
tested doses of the aqueous safflower extract were shown to be promising in the control of
phytopathogen Phytophthora capsici in vitro.