Fusarium Wilt Disease of Tomato: Screening for Resistance and in-Vitro Evaluation of Botanicals for Control; The Nigeria Case

Abstract

Fusarium wilt disease of tomato is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and is a limiting factor to tomato production in Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to screen tomato varieties commonly cultivated in Nigeria to determine their host resistance status to F. oxysporum, identify fungi species associated with tomato plants showing Fusarium wilt symptoms and the in-vitro evaluation of aqueous and methanol extracts of four botanicals for bioactivity. Symptomatic sample plants were collected from three farms in tomato producing communities of Nigeria. Isolation was done by direct plating method on acidified Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Fungi isolates were identified by cultural and microscopic characteristics. Extracts were prepared and evaluated for bioactivity by agar dilution method. The experiment was laid in a Completely Randomized Design replicated three times. Data were analyzed by descriptive and statistical analysis. Significantly different means were separated using Least Significant Difference at 5% level of significance. Of the nine varieties evaluated, only Tomato Shanty+N showed moderate resistance to F. oxysporum, while others were susceptible. Fungi isolated from symptomatic plants were Colletotrichum spp, Curvularia lunata, Sclerotia rolfsii, Rhizopus spp, Pestalocia macrotrica, Aspergillus spp, and Fusarium oxysporum. Extracts showed bioactivity against F. oxysporum at different concentrations. Methanol as solvent in preparing of Azadirachta indica leaf extract showed the highest inhibitory properties against F. oxysporum at low concentration. This was followed by Morinda lucida and Tagetes erecta at 37.5% and 25% concentration respectively. Tomato shanty+N and low concentration methanol extracts of Azadirachta indica leaf (12.5%) are therefore recommended.

Management of Fusarium Wilt Disease of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Using Selected Plant Extracts

“…The presence of antifungal substances in the extracts could be responsible for the observed inhibition of radial growth, as well as possible inhibition of spore germination in vitro. This agrees with earlier reports on antimicrobial plant extracts (Akaeze & Aduramigba-Modupe, 2017;Dhaliwal et al, 1990;Enikuomehin, 1998;Giordani et al, 2020). Rice husk extract was the most effective of all the botanicals tested, followed by Azadirachta indica.…”

“…This conformed to the observations of Olufolaji and Adeyeye (2002); Olufolaji. and Ojo (2005) and Akaeze and Aduramigba-Modupe (2017) in their studies on the bioassay of some plant extracts on selected fungal pathogens.…”

“…The problems caused by synthetic pesticides and their residues have increased the need for effective biodegradable pesticides with greater selectivity. Continuous use of these chemicals may pose ecological problems (Adedeji & Aduramigba, 2016;Akaeze & Aduramigba-Modupe, 2017;Enikuomehin & Peters, 2002;Okigbo & Emoghene, 2003). However, some extracts from plants have been reported to possess different antimicrobial metabolites with biocontrol potentials against phytopathogens (Giordani et al, 2020).…”

Biology and Integrated Control of Tomato Wilt Caused by Fusarium oxysporum lycopersici: A Comprehensive Review under the Light of Recent Advancements

“…Naing, et al [151] concluded that bacterial strain Paenibacillus ehimensis KWN38 showed high antifungal activity against six tested fungal pathogens belonging to various taxonomic groups; the strain produced volatile antimicrobial the fatty acid chains in the membrane lipid bilayer and alter fluidity and permeability of cell membranes [140]. Akaeze, et al [49] reported that methanol extracts of A. indica at low concentration of 12.5% showed more bioactivity against F. oxysporum lycopersici.…”

“…Every 100-gram of raw tomatoes contain 93.59% water, 22 calories, 1.1 g protein, 4.7 g carbohydrates, 13 mg calcium, 27 mg phosphorous, 0.5 mg ferrous, 244 mg potassium, 900 mg vitamin A 0.06 mg thiamine, 0.04 mg riboflavin, 0.7 mg niacin, 23 mg ascorbic acid [29,45]. In addition, the red pigment of the lycopene which tomato fruit contains has attractive interest because the lycopene has high antioxidant ability against oxygen radicals that may cause cancer, aging, arteriosclerosis, etc [11,41,[46][47][48][49][50].…”