Soil solarization as a component of the integrated management of fusarium crown and root rot in tomato

Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato (FORL) is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici and in the cool season, it can produce severe losses in this crop. The fumigant methyl bromide (MB), which was highly effective in controlling this disease, has been phased out. We carried out three experiments in naturally infested soils to examine effectiveness of soil solarization (SH) and fumigants, alone or combined, for the management of FORL. In the first experiment, SH only delayed disease progress but Basamid (BS) alone or in combination with SH significantly reduced the disease. The yield was significantly increased by 22 %, 62%, and 68% by SH, BS and SH + BS, respectively. In the second experiment, SH only partially reduced the disease but the use of an improved SH film (IF) further reduced it. The combination of IF with metam sodium and formalin at reduced dosage was as effective as MB in reducing the disease and in increasing the yield. In the third experiment, regular SH was partially effective in disease control while the sprayable film (Ecotex) was somewhat less so. The best results in terms of soil heating, disease reduction and yield increase were obtained by combining Ecotex and regular SH. We conclude that although there are potential tools for controlling FORL, these need to be further improved.