Using essential oils to control diseases in strawberries and peaches.

Strawberry and peach crops are of great economic and social importance, mainly due to the added value and income generation for small and medium producers in different regions of Brazil. Some fungal diseases can compromise the final profitability of production, such as those caused by Colletotrichum sp., Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructicola fungi.

Tannic extract potential as natural wood preservative of Acacia mearnsii.

High toxicity of the preservatives most frequently used in wood treatment and the resulting risks of handling pose a threat to small producers and to the environment. In an attempt to mitigate these problems, the present study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the preservative effect of tannic extract on biodeterioration of Acacia mearnsii wood. For this purpose, untreated and preserved specimens, some with tannin extract and some with a preservative mixture based on CCB (Chromated Copper Borate), were submitted to accelerated rotting trials with the fungus that causes white rot (Pycnoporus sanguineus) for 16 weeks.