Carrageenan as an elicitor of wheat’s mechanisms of defense

Wheat represents an important staple food for human and animal nutrition. However, it constantly suffers from the incidence of biotic and abiotic stresses which reduce yields and kernels quality. The goal with this study was to use the elicitors Acibenzolar-S-Methyl and Carrageenan to elicit the mechanisms of defense of wheat to increase kernels quality and yields. The work was conducted as a random block design with six treatments and two wheat cultivars (TBIO Audaz and TBIO Noble) in Chapecó, SC, Brazil during the harvest season of 2020. Parcels had a size of 5.0 m2 and were spread apart by 80 cm of distance. The incidence of foliar/ear diseases, seed pathological and mycotoxicological (deoxynivalenol - DON) analyses were performed. The best dosage of carrageenan (Algomel PUSH®) for wheat plants has been accessed during this work. The use of the elicitors combined with the time of application, the proximity of the parcels and the drastic climatic conditions encountered in 2020 for the area of study did not result in significant yield gain nor in kernels quality. A weak correlation between Fusarium Head Blight and DON accumulation was observed. The elicitors showed to be a great tool for the suppression of foliar diseases for a period of roughly 20 days. The best dose-response of carrageenan is of 1.21 L ha-1.