International Research Journal of Plant and Crop Sciences ISSN 1711-3490:  Vol. 5(2), pp. 178-183, December, 2019.  © Advanced Scholars Journals

Full length Research paper

Screening of Tomato Varieties’ Response to Bacterial Wilt Disease at CARI, Liberia

Tokpah DD^1*, Issaka RN², Kullei SH¹, Hiama PD¹

¹Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), Crop Protection Unit,Natural Resource Management Department, P.O. Box 3929,Suakoko,Bong County, Liberia.

² Soil Research Institute, Academy Post Office, Kwadaso Kumasi, Ghana.

^*Corresponding Author:E-mail:[email protected]

Accepted November 22, 2019.

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersiconesculemtun) is an important vegetable crop produced and consumed worldwide. Tomato production in Liberia is on the decline due to serious disease problems. Introduction of improved varieties is usually difficult due to the effect of these diseases. The crop is mostly affected by one of the most devastating plant pathogenic gram negative bacterium Ralstoniasolanacerum causing major yield losses up to 100% in susceptible varieties worldwide. In the dry season of 2017 a trial was established to screen 10 tomato varieties and evaluate the effect of four organic pesticides against BWT disease. The trial was repeated in the wet season of 2018. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a factorial arrangement with four replications. Four of the varieties; Mozat, Icrixina, Gaytayeah-2 and Petomech all perished before the end of the trial.  Two of the 10 varieties, Nimba-1 and Gaytayeah-1 were resistant (0.0% incidence rates) to BWT disease. Boufolo variety showed good resistance (23.7% incident rate) which was significantly better than the other varieties which had over 50% incident rate. All the pesticides gave similar efficacy levels as the Control hence in effective in controlling the disease. Gaytayeah-1 and Nimba-1 gave the highest fruit yields which were significantly higher than the other varieties. A strong correlation between disease incidence and total fruit yield was observed. Introduction of new varieties for screening and the evaluation of more pesticides is recommended.

Key worlds: Tomato varieties, pesticides, screening, BW disease.