Potential use of Piper peltatum essential oil for the control of Moniliophthora roreri in cacao plants cultivated in the Colombian Amazon region

Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.) is one of the main species of the peasant agroforestry system in many regions of Colombia and is considered one of the crops with the greatest economic projection, given its industrial demand and food importance. Production yields in the country are limited by various factors, with fungal diseases being a major challenge. Consequently, there is a strong need to develop safe and effective phytosanitary solutions to manage these diseases, reduce losses, and enhance productivity. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antifungal potential of 4 concentrations (500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 ppm) of root, leaf and stem extracts of the Piper peltatum plant for the control of the fungus Moniliophthora roreri . For this, the fungus was collected and isolated from cocoa pods ( T. cacao ) and morphologically characterized. The results allowed to determine that P. peltatum in root extracts presents total phenol values ​​of 63 mg A.G g-1 and flavonoids of 74.88 mg CAT/g-1 and antioxidant activity greater than 200 mg Tx/g-1, ABTS. with values ​​of 300 mg Tx/g-1 and FRAP greater than 100 mg AA/g-1. Finally, the concentrations of Piper peltatum extracts showed an inhibition of mycelial growth greater than 88% in all concentrations and plant organs evaluated, highlighting the high potential of Piper peltatum as a controlling agent of Moniliophthora roreri in Cocoa crops in the Colombian Amazon region.