The objective of this project is to select essential oils that have the potential for sanitary treatment in organic soybean production systems without interference in seed germination and are concomitantly compatible with the Bradyrhizobium bacteria, used to promote Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) in the crop.
The intention is to develop an efficient bioproduct that can be utilized by organic soybean farmers, which could work on the phytosanitary problems that hit the seeds, as is the case of the Aspergillus flavus fungus infection, which causes them to rot, preventing seedling development. The seed treatment can be a fast and efficient option to control pathogens, resulting in a significant reduction in the subsequent use of pesticides. The challenge is to find a solution that complies with the specific legislation on organic production, since most of the existing products are from a synthetic source.
Moreover, in the case of conventional farmers, there are losses, because most commercial fungicide combinations that are recommended for seed treatment reduce nodulation and BNF, a practice that is widely used in soybean crops. Research with natural products, such as essential oils from plant sources, comprise a world tendency to find new control alternatives.