Diseases Management in Tomato Cultivation
Diseases:
1) Early blight:
Dark brown to black spots are form on leaves & stem with concentric rings on them. Plant growth is affected, fruit size & yield is also affected. Control measures : Spray copper Oxy-choride 50 WP @ 0.30% or Zineb 75 WP 0.2%.
2) Damping Off:
Aliected seedling rots at collar region in nursery bed due to stagnation of water in nursery.
Control measures: Treat seed with 1% Mercuric fungicide @ 2.5—3.0 gm/kg. of seed before sowing.
3) Fruit rot:
Brownish -spot appear on fruit at the point of contact between fruit and soil. Fruit decay rapidly and become unfit for consumption.
Control Measures:
i. Support the plant properly, plant on ridges in irrigated soil.
ii. Don’t plant on poorly drained soil,
iii. Spray Bordeaux mixture.
4) Virus diseases:
According to Chauhan (1967), tomato mosaic is the most common virus disease. It causes light and dark green mottling hi the foliage followed by slight curling and some malformation of the leaflets. The plants become some what stunted in the beginning. and later on-fruit setting is also reduced. According to Mehta (1959), various strains of this viruses striking yellow mottling of leaves, stems and fruits with curling dwarfing and distoration of the foliage and also dark brown streaking of the stems and leaves.
Control measures:
i. Uprooting and burning the disease affected plants as soon as they are noticed is the best method to check the spread of this disease.
ii. The insect vector should be controlled by spraying the crop with Dimetnoate (Rogor 30 EC) or Oxy dernition methyl (Metasystox-25EC) @ I ml or phosfamidon (Dernicron-1 OOEC) @ 0.5 ml per litter of water.