Plant Disease Research

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is grown as an off-season crop from spring to early winter in Himachal Pradesh, which gives lucrative returns to the farmers. However, various fungal diseases affect the crop adversely during its growing period owing to warm and humid climate and the diseases like early blight (Alternaria solani), Alternaria rot (Alternaria alternata) and buckeye rot (Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica) are serious ones. An on farm experiment comprising of three treatments was conducted on tomato variety Him Sona in the farmers’ fields at village Cheog and Lanacheta of district Sirmour during 2009 and 2010 to study the effect of fungicidal sprays on foliar and fruit rot diseases of tomato. Average maximum fruit yield (268.3 qtls/ha) with minimum disease incidence of leaf spot (19.61%) and buckeye rot (22.35%) was recorded in the treatment: staking, removal of lower leaves upto 15 cm followed by four sprays of Ridomil MZ @ 0.25%. The recommended package i.e. staking, removal of lower leaves, spray of Ridomil MZ @ 0.25% followed by sprays of Indofil M-45 @ 0.25% recorded 237.5 q/ha average marketable fruit yield 25.63% and 26.93% leaf spot and fruit rot incidence respectively. Lowest marketable fruit yield (211.2 q/ha) coupled with highest incidence of leaf spot (36.93%) and buckeye rot (37.28%) was recorded in farmers practices i.e Jhamba, sprays of Indofil M-45 @ 0.25%.