Integrated Management Approach of Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Disease in Tomato

Abstract

Tomato is considered as one of the most important vegetable grown worldwide. Many disease effect tomato and cause severe damage the most one which suffers important losses is tomato yellow leaf curl virus disease. The aim of this study which conducted in winter season 2013-2014 was to evaluate the integrated effect of covering tomato seedlings with mosquito net, use of different tomato varieties, application of Argil as foliar and in soil and frequent spraying of synthetic pesticides on incidence and severity of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl (TYLCV) disease transmitted by white fly (Bemisia tabaci). The study revealed that covering of the tomato seedlings with mosquito net at nursery for six weeks before transplanting to the field resulted in healthy and vigorous seedlings with high plant population compared to control. The combined effect of treatments (covering tomato seedlings in nursery, Argil applications and chemical spray) and varieties resulted in significant decrease of TYLCV incidence covered+argel foliar inVT60788 variety (0%), covered+argel soil inVT60788 variety (11.1%), chemical spray inVT60788 variety (11.1%), covered+argel foliar in Omdurman variety (11.1%) and covered+argel soil in Omdurman variety (0%) and severity values covered+argel soil inVT60788 variety and chemical spray inVT60788 variety (0%) and compared to control (25%). The increase in TYLCV incidence and severity (83.3 – 91.7) towards end of experiment attributed to the high inoculums pressure in Shambat area. This necessitates growing of tomato in relatively isolated disease free fields. The findings of this study highlighted the importance of integrating different disease management approaches for controlling TYLCV disease incidence and severity rather than use of one single approach.