Abstract

White mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) is a major problem of the common bean in Brazil. Thus, the objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of chemical fungicides and biological products (Trichoderma spp) for the control of white mold in a bean field with different plant population densities located in the Silvânia, Goiás State, Brazil, in the 2007/08 rain season. The experimental design was the randomized blocks, with four replicates and seven treatments. The treatments are consisting of two levels of plant population densities (240 and 120 thousand plants/ha^-1), chemical fungicides (carboxin-thiram and procymidone) and biological fungicides (Trichoderma spp), as well as untreated control. The results indicated that there was no significant interaction between bean population densities and chemical and biological fungicides applied to control S. sclerotiorum. The biological agent Trichoderma spp. is not effective in controlling S. sclerotiorum in common bean crop grown in the Brazilian “cerrado” region. Application of carboxin-thiram + procymidone was the most efficient treatment for the control of white mold on the common bean. Lower planting density is recommended for areas contaminated with S. sclerotiorum, as it can be easily associated with other control strategies.

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