Effect of chitosans of different molecular masses on the fungus Curvularia lunata.

Chitosan is a biopolymer that has different applications in agriculture as it is biostimulant, antifungal, inducer of resistance, among others. In this work, it was evaluated the direct effect of chitosans of different molecular masses on the fungus Curvularia lunata, a pathogen that affects rice cultivation. For them, three chitosans were used, of low, medium and high molecular mass, at the 1, 2 and 3g/L concentrations. In vitro studies were carried out, determining the percentage of inhibition of mycelial growth, as well as the presence of spores, if these were viable, and if the chitosan affected the germination of the spores. The results showed that the higher the concentration of chitosans of different molecular mass, the higher the percentage of inhibition of the mycelial growth of the fungus. Furthermore, the low molecular mass chitosan increased the production of spores at the highest concentration of the bioproduct (3 g/L) used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]