Articles
INCIDENCE OF FUNGAL DISEASES ON ORGANICALLY GROWN TOMATO FRUITS
Article number
914_15
Pages
97 – 100
Language
English
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea and Phytophthora infestans are the major diseases of tomato fruits in Estonia.
The effect of both diseases on fruit yield was evaluated over six years (2004-2009) in organic cultivation in unheated plastic greenhouse at the Jõgeva Plant Breeding Institute.
Growth substrate was soil fertilized by cattle manure.
The research was carried out with 10 cultivars from mid-May to the end of September.
The first ripened fruits were harvested at the end of June or in early July.
The marketable yield and fruits damaged by diseases were measured in July-September.
The influence of the following weather factors was evaluated: the sum of precipitation and sunshine hours in July-September.
The number of favourable years was bigger in the trial period – four out of six.
No damages by grey mold were estimated in 2005, 2006 and late blight in 2007, 2009. Grey mold incidence was minimal in 2007. The disease infection level was low in 2008, only some fruit damages by grey mold and late blight occurred in every cultivar.
The most unfavourable years for tomato cultivation were cool and rainy 2004 and 2009. Results assure that incidence and development of diseases in unheated greenhouses in Estonia allow cultivation of tomato in organic regime.
Using cultivars with higher grey mold resistance and ventilation of twenty-four hours keeps disease pressure low.
The effect of both diseases on fruit yield was evaluated over six years (2004-2009) in organic cultivation in unheated plastic greenhouse at the Jõgeva Plant Breeding Institute.
Growth substrate was soil fertilized by cattle manure.
The research was carried out with 10 cultivars from mid-May to the end of September.
The first ripened fruits were harvested at the end of June or in early July.
The marketable yield and fruits damaged by diseases were measured in July-September.
The influence of the following weather factors was evaluated: the sum of precipitation and sunshine hours in July-September.
The number of favourable years was bigger in the trial period – four out of six.
No damages by grey mold were estimated in 2005, 2006 and late blight in 2007, 2009. Grey mold incidence was minimal in 2007. The disease infection level was low in 2008, only some fruit damages by grey mold and late blight occurred in every cultivar.
The most unfavourable years for tomato cultivation were cool and rainy 2004 and 2009. Results assure that incidence and development of diseases in unheated greenhouses in Estonia allow cultivation of tomato in organic regime.
Using cultivars with higher grey mold resistance and ventilation of twenty-four hours keeps disease pressure low.
Publication
Authors
I. Bender, A. Ingver
Keywords
grey mold, late blight, organic cultivation, unheated greenhouse
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