INDUCTION OF SYSTEMIC RESISTANCE AGAINST TOMATO ROOT ROT DISEASE UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ident. Microorgan., Biol. Control of Pl. Dis. and Eval. Fung. Unit, Pl. Pathol. Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Cent., Giza, Egypt

2 Natural Resources Dept., Inst. Afr. Res. and Studies, Cairo Univ., Egypt

3 Plant Pathol. Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Cent., Giza, Egypt

Abstract

Induction of systemic resistance against tomato root rot is considered save and good
strategy for controlling this serious disease which lead to delay growth and death of severely infected
plants especially under protective production. Sixteen isolates of Rhizoctonia solani and ten of
Fusarium solani were isolated from diseased tomato samples collected from ten Egyptian
governorates. The isolated fungi were differed in their virulence on tomato plants. Kafr-El-Sheikh
isolates No.16 of R. solani and Gharbia isolate No.8 of F. solani were significantly more aggressive
than the others. All tested antagonistic treatments including bioagents, biocides, chemical inducers and
plant oils as well as Vitavax-200 significantly reduced the disease severity under greenhouse
conditions. The results also revealed that dipotassium hydrogen phosphate at 2% concentration, Bio-
Arc and Bio-Zeid at recommended doses recorded the least disease severity caused by the isolated
pathogens, followed by Trichoderma koningii (14), T. harzianum (15) and Acinetobacter genospecies
(B40). Other treatments were less effective. Soaking roots of tomato seedling for two hours in most of
biotic and abiotic inducers before transplanting in soil infested with the pathogenic fungi increased
peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and chitinase activities at 14 days post inoculation (dpi) to values
more than 7 dpi.

Keywords