This study aimed to evaluate the precision and accuracy of evaluators using diagrammatic scale to estimate defoliation caused by diseases in soybean. The scale had six levels of severity of defoliation (5, 15, 45, 65, 85 and 100%). The images used for evaluation were obtained in plots attacked by Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi), presenting different levels of defoliation. The validation was performed by ten evaluators, comparing estimated data with the actual data of the area coverage leaf, obtained by processing images in Paint Shop Pro 4 software, and Adobe Photoshop 7.0. The evaluators presented tendency to underestimate the defoliation in the lower levels of severity and overestimate the defoliation in high levels of severity, when the scale was not used. The accuracy and precision of the evaluators increased with the use of the scale diagrammatic.
Glycine max; Phakopsora pachyrhizi; defoliation
