Efficacy of biocontrol agents and biostimulants on soil-borne pathogens management and yield in tomato cultivation: a three-year field study in Italy

Three field trials were carried out on a commercial farm located in Piedmont, Italy, during three consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023) to evaluate the effects of biological control agents (BCA) and biostimulants to control soil-borne pathogens on oxheart tomato plants (‘Meneghino’). Isolations from infected plants over the years confirmed the widespread occurrence of two major fungal pathogens: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, causal agent of Fusarium wilt, and Rhizoctonia solani, causal agent of crown and root rot.
Treatments included a non-microbial biostimulant of natural origin (GH), a microbial biostimulant containing Paenibacillus polymyxa, a microbial biostimulant containing mycorrhiza (AMF), a mixture of AMF+GH and a combination of the antagonistic microorganisms Fusarium oxysporum (MSA35) and Trichoderma asperellum (FC80). Treatments were applied at first to seedlings in nursery and seven days later at transplanting.
During the trials, disease incidence and severity and tomato yield (g m^-2) were compared to the untreated control.
Our results showed that treatments based on GH, AMF and MSA35+FC80 reduced both disease incidence and severity caused by soilborne pathogens in the field.
Additionally, plants treated with AMF and MSA35+FC80 significantly increased tomato yield compared to untreated plants.
These results highlight the potential use of BCAs and natural biostimulants as an effective strategy to control soil-borne pathogens on tomatoes under field conditions.

IV International Organic Fruit Symposium and II International Organic Vegetable Symposium

P. Valfrè, G. Gilardi, M. Pugliese

biological control, antagonistic microorganisms, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, Rhizoctonia solani, organic farming

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1427.7