Ecofriendly Management of Early Blight of Tomato Caused by Alternaria Solani in Faridabad District

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is regarded as Super food, one of the extensively grown and most prominent vegetable crops belonging to solanaceous family. Alterneria solani, causal agent of early blight disease has been investigated as harmful soil-borne phytopathogen of tomato crops, especially in tropical and subtropical region. It is a deliberate and an incessant disease problem of tomato plant causing 78-100% economic losses each year in the world. It is the major threatening disease which can hamper all stages of development in the plant causing a severe reduction in quality and quantity of tomato fruit. Enormous appliance of fungicides threatens the growth of non target species and sustainability in the evolution of pathogen resistant strains. It imposes disastrous effects on the ecological bio system and causes high carcinogenic risk factors higher than herbicides and insecticides put together. newlineThere is a thriving requisite to develop substitute approaches for regulating plant diseases. Nature has been the impressive source of bio control agents and antimicrobial metabolites in plants which can provide eco friendly and cost effective means of management. Estimation of disease incidence in the villages of Faridabad has been carried out to understand the present scenario in the fields. The data relevant to the blight disease ranged from 50.70 to 72.50 percent in Faridabad district. The results revealed that the maximum disease intensity was observed in Chandpur, Tigaon and Atali which ranged from 60.90% to 72.50%. Percent disease index of Alternaria blight on leaves of different genotypes of tomato under farmer field conditions during 2012-2013 to 2013-2014 was evaluated.