Evaluation of Tomachiva cultivar as a rootstock for the management of tomato bacterial wilt

Abstract

Management of Ralstonia solanacearumis a difficult task due to its extremely wide host range and different pathogenic races. This has limited tomato production limited as a result of severe losses due to disease caused by the pathogen. Two trials were conducted in early and late planting seasons of the year 2012. Two susceptible tomato cultivars (Beske and UC82-B) were used as scions on land race Tomachiva. The field experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications in both seasons. The results showed that Beske had 90% grafting success in early planting season and 87.75% in late season while 84.50% was observed in early season and 84.75% during late planting season for UC82-B cultivar. Grafted Beske and UC82-B performed excellently with 100%
protection against bacterial wilt infection except in the late planting season when grafted UC82-B experienced 3.30% incidence, which was significantly lower(p ≤ 0.05) than both 21.70% and 33.30% (non-grafted UC82-B), 45% and 50% (non-grafted Beske) at seventh and eighth week after transplanting respectively. There was also significant yield increase (p ≤ 0.05) in grafted Beske up to 63.16% and 53.38% in both early and late planting seasons respectively. UC82-B grafted tomato had 56.14% and 71.76% yield increase both in early
and late planting seasons respectively. Thus, the indigenous Tomachiva cultivar could be used as resistant rootstock for the  management of bacterial wilt of tomatoin an integrated disease management in tomato production for yield increase.

Keywords: Bacterial wilt, grafting, Ralstonia solanacearum, rootstock,tomato.