Evaluation of Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Production as a plant pathogen control agent

The increase in Biodiesel fuel production is creating the problem of generating a large quantity of glycerine as a subproduct from manufacturing this biofuel. The main objective of this research was to determine glycerine toxicity on seeds as well as the possible doses of application by evaluating germination capacity and root growth in seeds from various plant species (tomato and cucumber). Likewise, the biocidal capacity of glycerine as an alternative in plant pathogen control was evaluated against the following phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria: Pythium aphanidermatum, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum, Rhizoctonia bataticola, Phytophthora parasitica Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Clavibacter michiganensis and Erwinia persicina. Results reveal that the use of this subproduct could entail an ecological alternative which would reduce or even eliminate the excessive use of agrochemicals, simultaneously allowing the use and recycling of local resources destined to protect crops.