ISHS Acta Horticulturae 695: I International Symposium on Tomato Diseases
NEW TACTICS FOR BACTERIAL WILT MANAGEMENT ON TOMATOES IN THE SOUTHERN U.S. |
| Authors: | P. Ji, M.T. Momol, S.M. Olson, J. Hong, P. Pradhanang, K.N. Anith, J.B. Jones |
| Keywords: | Ralstonia solanacearum, acibenzolar-S-methyl, PGPR, thymol, palmarosa oil, Stubble-Aid, resistant cultivar, cover crop |
| Abstract:
Bacterial wilt incited by Ralstonia solanacearum causes significant yield and economic loss in tomato production in southern states of the U.S. The limited efficacy of current disease control measures makes the development of innovative and integrated approaches for an effective management of the disease desirable. Acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were evaluated for the capacity to enhance plant resistance against bacterial wilt. Several antimicrobial compounds, including volatile plant essential oils or their functional constituents, were employed as pre-plant soil treatments to reduce or eliminate populations of the bacterial pathogen. The role of selected cover crops in reducing soil population of the pathogen was investigated, and the survival of the pathogen in irrigation water and aquatic weeds was monitored. Application of ASM significantly reduced bacterial wilt incidence on susceptible tomato cultivars, but only when tomato plants were inoculated with low concentrations of R. solanacearum. Combined use of ASM and tomato cultivars moderately resistant to bacterial wilt, such as Neptune, BHN 466 and FL 7514, provided effective protection against the disease when high inoculum concentrations were used. The use of thymol or Stubble-Aid for soil treatment reduced soil population of the pathogen to undetectable levels and significantly reduced the disease on susceptible tomato cultivars. Irrigation water and alternative weed hosts appeared to play an important role as inoculum sources of the pathogen. Selected cover crops exhibited to reduce populations of R. solanacearum in the soil significantly. These studies indicated that several innovative approaches had the potential to be used as active components in an integrated management of bacterial wilt of tomatoes. | |
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