Incidence of fusarium wilt in major tomato growing areas of Punjab

Abstract

Tomato crop is affected with several diseases that lead to decreased yield every year. Among those diseases, tomato wilt is the most significant disease caused by soil borne pathogens i.e. Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Verticillium spp. In the present study, survey was conducted in tomato growing areas of Punjab. Pathogens associated with plants were Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria solani, parasitic nematodes, Pythium, Verticillium dahliae and mosaic virus. The survey was conducted at three different stages of plant development and disease incidence and severity were correlated with environmental factors. This survey was conducted for consecutive two years (2017-18:2018-19). It was shown that fusarium wilt can infect all growing stages (nursery, flowering and fruiting) of tomato plant. Moreover, high temperature and high humidity favored disease prevalence. Huge damage was witnessed due to high temperature and relative humidity up to a certain limit. Furthermore, it was also observed that alternaria blight, verticillium wilt, nematodes and mosaic virus also attacked at different growth stages to different extents along with fusarium wilt. Plants were more vulnerable at fruiting stage to all diseases. The present study will be helpful for devising a proper management strategy for fusarium wilt disease in tomato crop.