Genetic approaches for mitigating losses caused by bacterial wilt of tomato in tropical islands

Abstract

Bacterial wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith, US Department of Agriculture, 12, 1-28, 1986) Yabuuchi et al. (Microbiology and Immunology, 39, 897-904, 1995) (formerly Pseudomonas solanacearum), causes 35-90 % yield loss in tomato production in hot-humid tropical regions. Commonly used strategies for minimizing incidence of bacterial wilt include choosing resistant varieties, cocopith based growing media, chemical methods, grafting on resistant rootstocks, application of biocontrol agents and field management practices. The cultivation of resistant varieties is the most appropriate and eco-friendly way to manage the soil borne diseases in crops but the same is not fitting well with bacterial wilt in tomato. In this review, a systematic analysis has been made on reaction of 526 genotypes of tomato to R. solanacearum pathogen tested over a 30 year period in Andaman Islands and identified 37 genotypes as highly resistant (HR), 58 as resistant (R) and 151 as moderate resistant (MR). None of the claimed resistant genotypes exhibited stable and durable resistance against this pathogen and no single genotype reported in HR category (after 2002) except only two genotypes in R category. The period for a genotype to shift from resistance to susceptible is very short because of pathogen evolution hence, it is necessary to constantly develop new resistant varieties in tomato against R. solanacearum. The review also suggests breeding strategies for rapid development of bacterial wilt resistant varieties in tomato in order to minimize the yield losses especially in the tropical conditions.

Plant-derived Antibacterial Metabolites Suppressing Tomato Bacterial Wilt Caused by Ralstonia solanacearum

“…This might be due to the poor colonization ability of antagonistic strains under different field conditions. The performance of BCAs is hindered by some difficulties, which are associated with the production, storage, and subsequent application of BCAs (Singh et al, 2015;Yuliar et al, 2015). Many previous studies reported that bacterial wilt was suppressed by organic matter.…”

“…It can grow endophytically and survive in soil, and it has a wide host range and biodiversity (Singh et al, 2015;Yuliar et al, 2015). To control bacterial wilt disease, different methods have been precribed till date (Yuliar et al, 2015).…”

Secreted Secondary Metabolites Reduce Bacterial Wilt Severity of Tomato in Bacterial–Fungal Co-Infections

“…However, this topic still remains in its infancy in plant disease. Ralstonia solanacearum and Fusarium oxysporum, bacterial and fungal plant pathogens that cause wilt disease, can lead to yield losses up to 90% [11] and 80%, respectively, in a wide range of hosts [12,13]. While these pathogens have been studied in single pathogen-host systems, consequences of mixed infections are unknown.…”

Effects of Combined Application of Potassium Silicate and Salicylic Acid on the Defense Response of Hydroponically Grown Tomato Plants to Ralstonia solanacearum Infection

“…Bacterial wilt, which is caused by the soilborne pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum, is a serious and widespread disease that affects tomato production throughout the world [2][3][4]. R. solanacearum typically invades plants through the root wounds, colonizes host plant xylem vessels, and causes yield losses for 35-90% [5]. Bacterial wilt is managed with synthetic fungicides and by breeding resistant cultivars [6][7][8][9].…”