EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT FUNGICIDES AGAINST FUSARIUM WILT AND THEIR IMPACTS ON HEIGHT AND YIELD OF TOMATO CROP UNDER THE TUNNEL FARMING CONDITION

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is attacked by various disease causing micro-organisms. Amongthem Fusarium wilt is the major destructive diseases of tomato. This study was conducted to test theefficacy of different fungicides i.e. metalaxyl+mancozeb, copper oxychloride, benalaxyl+mancozeb,carbendazim and mancozeb at different concentrations (2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 g/litre water) against the fusariumwilt of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and also to observe the impacts offungicides on plant height and yield under tunnel condition. The result revealed that copper oxychloridewas significantly effective in all its doses to control the Fusarium wilt of tomato, the most effective dose was 3 g/l where the disease severity was recorded 6.2 percent only, followed by metalaxyl+mancozeb (4g/l) in which the disease severity was recorded 9.6 percent, other fungicides also showed good result but mancozeb alone was not effective, however it had synergistic effect and could be used as basis with the other product to control the fusarium wilt. Two of the fungicides proved to be the most appropriate chemicals having no severe impacts on plant height and yield. The highest plant height was recorded 10.96 and 9.38 feet whereas the highest yield per plant was recorded 3.97 and 3.67 kg in case of copper oxychloride and metalaxyl+mancozeb respectively.