EVALUATION OF TRICHODERMA HARZIANUM AND SOLARIZATION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF FUSARIUM WILT AND SOUTHER

For the treatment of fusarium wilt and southern blight diseases of tomatoes, the efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum and soil solarization was investigated alone and in combination. Two concentrations of T. harzianum (104 and 107 spore/ml), two levels of solarization (one and two months), and the interaction of solarization and T. harzianum were used in the experiments. The standard check was formaldehyde, a soil fumigant, and the control was untreated soil. Separately, the illnesses' causative pathogen was injected at 106 spore/ml into 15 litre plastic pots with a large surface (410mm diameter) and 15kg of soil. Solarization was achieved using clear translucent polythene with a thickness of 0.05mm. The test crop was a local tomato cultivar called Hausa scissors, which was sown in a nursery tray on a sterile, nutrient-rich soil, irrigated with equal water volume, then transplanted into the treated soil after 21 days. Throughout the growth season, the pots were placed in the open field. Each treatment had three replications in the experiment, which was set up in a randomised full block design. Minitab software was used to do statistical analysis and mean separation on the data collected. The combination of T. harzianum at 107 spore/ml and two months of solarization significantly reduced the incidence and severity index of the two diseases, improved plant growth parameters, yield quality and quantity, and improved fruit shelf life, and may be recommended for the management of fusarium wilt and southern blight diseases of tomatoes over their use as sole management agents.

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