ABSTRACT
A field experiment was conducted during the 2012 growing season with the aim of evaluating the contribution of orange essential oil to the performance of fungicides on the control of wheat leaf diseases. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, as factorial arrangement (3x5) + 1, and four replicates. Factor A was composed of the fungicides (dose of the commercial product) epoxiconazole (0.75L ha-1), pyraclostrobin (0.80L ha-1) and epoxiconazole+pyraclostrobin (0.75L ha-1) and factor B was composed of the adjuvants (doses) mineral oil (500mL ha-1) and orange essential oil (0, 50, 100 and 150mL ha-1). The additional treatment was represented by a control (distilled water). Flag leaf spot control was more efficient with the use of epoxiconazole and epoxiconazole+pyraclostrobin whether the used adjuvant was mineral oil or orange essential oil, while the tested adjuvants did not affect rust control. The hectoliter weight, mass of one thousand grains and wheat yield were not negatively affected by the different concentrations of orange essential oil.
Keywords
Triticum aestivum L; leaf spots; leaf rust; adjuvants