Fusarium oxysporum AND Fusarium solani INOCULATION AND SHADING LEVELS IN THE ERVA-MATE: SEVERITY INFLUENCE OF THE ROOT-ROT

<p><em>Ilex paraguariensis</em> A. St.-Hill is a broadly cultivated species in the South of Brazil. With the increasing planted area, mainly in the last decade, fitosanitary problems caused by pest and diseases have increased in this crop, and the root-rot is becoming one of the main problems. Among the pathogens, <em>Fusarium</em> <em>oxysporum</em> Schlecht. and <em>Fusarium solani </em>(Mart.) Sacc are the main ones. These fungi provoke severe damages resulting in the destruction of the root system and, in the most serious cases, they cause the death of the plant. It is suspected that the incidence and severity of disease are influenced by cultivation of <em>Ilex paraguariensis</em> in different levels of shading or full sun. Therefore, experiments were conducted in the Forest Nursery area belonging to Forest Sciences Department/CCR/UFSM with the objective of confirming this assumption. The experiment was conducted in a factorial design (2 x 5), composed by <em>Fusarium</em> <em>oxysporum</em> and <em>Fusarium solani</em> inoculation and by shading levels. It was verified that the plants submitted to lower shading levels or full sun had their predisposed to the disease.