Combination of solarization, biofumigation and grafting techniques for the management of bacterial wilt in tomato

ABSTRACT Considering the aforementioned information, the objective was to evaluate the influence of combining techniques of solarization, biofumigation with chicken manure and grafting on the incidence of bacterial wilt and productivity of the hybrid tomato ‘Absoluto’. Two experiments were carried out in a chapel-type greenhouse and in field, in the agricultural year 2013/2014, in a commercial farm on the municipality of Barra do Rio Azul-RS. In the two cultivation environments, treatments were arranged in randomized block experimental design, with the plots subdivided into space and treatments randomly arranged, in an area naturally infested with race 1, biovar 1, phylotype II of R. solanacearum. The treatments were soil solarization, biofumigation, biofumigation +solarization and control, and in the subplots, the commercial hybrid tomato Absoluto with and without grafting on the hybrid rootstock Guardião. Based on the incidence of bacterial wilt, the plant health index and the area under the disease progress curve were estimated. The number, production and average mass of commercial fruits were evaluated. A beneficial effect was found of soil solarization associated with the addition of chicken manure in the control of bacterial wilt and increase of productivity. Grafting was more efficient in increasing plant health index and reducing the area under the disease progress curve than solarization and biofumigation, thus indicating that the association of the three measures is beneficial to the integrated control of the disease