Alternativas biológicas para reemplazar los plaguicidas de mayor consumo en el Ecuador : Alternativa biológica con potencial para reemplazar a los fungicidas de síntesis química en cultivos de Ecuador.

Abstract

The present work describes a biological alternative to control phytopathogenic fungi that affect crops in Ecuador. In the first instance, data was obtained from public institutions regarding the active principles of current fungicides, fungi that they control and the crops that they are already destined. Two export crops were selected according to their economic relevance; subsequently, the main fungal diseases were re-searched to which they are susceptible. In addition, a biological control alternative, the production conditions and the options for recovering the biological material were also re-searched. It was concluded that 94 active ingredients and 123 combinations are distributed in the country for the control of 42 genera of pathogenic fungi in 83 crops. It was established that banana and rose are important crops in monetary terms with a total of 6 625 032 and 124 646 tons exported and a contribution to VAB of 17,4 % and 6,9 %, respectively in 2021. Mycosphaerella fijiensis stands out as the main fungus that affects bananas, while Botrytis cinerea is one of the most damaging pathogens for roses. Bacillus subtilis was chosen as a biological control alternative because of its potential to produce three families of lipopeptides, surfactins, iturins and fengycins, with a proven inhibitory effect on several fungal genera. It was determined that liquid fermentation, despite its low yields, is the most used process for obtaining lipopeptides, which are recovered by various techniques that favor the concentration of active ingredients.