EFFECTIVENESS OF TRIAZOLE FUNGICIDES FOR THE CONTROL OF BROWN EYE SPOT ON COFFEE SEEDLINGS

ABSTRACT Triazole fungicides and their mixtures with insecticides are usually employed for the control of coffee rust and leaf miner in coffee crops. In this study these chemicals were evaluated for the control of brown eye spot, caused by Cercospora coffeicola, another important disease of this crop. Three experiments were carried out in a greenhouse with coffee seedlings of the cultivar Mundo Novo IAC 501. The fungicides epoxiconazole, epoxiconazole + pyraclostrobin, tetraconazole, ciproconazole, copper oxychloride, azoxystrobin and carbendazim were applied to the leaves of coffee seedlings, and ciproconazole + tiametoxam, triadimenol + dissulfotom, and triadimenol were applied to the seedlings substrate. Controls were also included in all experiments. The seedlings were inoculated with suspensions prepared with a mixture of five C. coffeicola isolates (3-4 conidia/mL). The incidence and severity of the disease were evaluated 20 to 56 days after the inoculations. With the exception of copper oxychloride, all products were efficient for the control of brown eye spot. The triazoles, with the exception of tetraconazole, showed reversible phytotoxic effects. Ciproconazole + tiametoxam, epoxiconazole + pyraclostrobin and carbendazim had the highest residual effects and maintained small levels of the disease until 56 days after their application. The triazoles used for the control of coffee rust are also effective for the control of brown eye spot.