Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFICACY OF BACILLUS - FORTIFIED ORGANIC FERTILIZER FOR CONTROLLING BACTERIAL WILT (RALSTONIA SOLANACEARUM) OF TOMATO UNDER PROTECTED CULTIVATION IN THE TROPICAL ISLANDS

T. Subramani, K. Sakthivel, K. Manigundan, Reena Singh and V.K. Pandey and R.K. Gautam

Abstract

Bacterial wilt of tomato caused by bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum is an important disease, especially in tropical and subtropical conditions. In this study, the effect of native Bacillus bioformulation was evaluated for the effective management of tomato bacterial wilt disease under poly house conditions along with its impact on plant growth, yield, and rhizosphere Bacillus abundance. The result showed that the disease incidence was lowest (10.7%) in BOF (Bio-fortified organic fertilizer) treatment when compared to OF (organic fertilizer) treatment (13.1%) and control (40.5%). Also, there was a significant increase in the shoot and root length (186.2 cm and 31.3 cm) in tomato plants with the application of BOF when compared to other treatments. The yield increase efficacy was 67.9% and 26.8% respectively in BOF and OF treatments when compared to control. In colony counts, rhizosphere Bacillus found significantly higher (5.6 x 107cfug-1) under BOF treatment when compared to OF (2.9 x 107cfug-1) and control (2.7 x 107cfu g-1) at the end of the experiment. The results showed that the application of BOF would be the appropriate and eco-friendly option for the management of bacterial wilt disease under poly house conditions of Andaman Islands.