Evaluating The Effect of Field Dodder Infestation on Productivity Indicators of Different Tomato Varieties

Abstract

: Field dodder is a parasitic weed that causes significant damage to agricultural crops. In this research, the susceptibility of three tomato varieties (Koy, F1 pembe, and Bursa) to field dodder infection was tested under field conditions. The infection rate was determined at different stages of tomato growth, also the fresh and dry weight of field dodder parasitized on the tested tomato varieties were calculated. The decrease in the average weight, length and width of fruits of different tomato varieties due to field dodder infection was also determined. The decrease in the number of tomato fruits and production for each tomato variety was also calculated. The results showed that the infection rate of tomato varieties ranged between 91.5% for the Bursa variety and 73.8% for the Koy variety. Field dodder was able to form a large biomass on different tomato varieties, ranging from 537.7 to 945.2 g/m 2 of fresh weight. The infection led to a significant decrease in the fruit and production characteristics of tomato varieties. The highest loss in production was in the Bursa variety, at a rate of 76.3%, while the lowest loss was in the Koy variety, at a rate of 61.7%. In addition, the infestation of field dodder had a significant impact on the quality of production by reducing its nutrient content in different proportions. Despite the variation in the sensitivity of the varieties used in this experiment, the results showed that these varieties are sensitive to field dodder infection, so effective control must be carried out to limit the decline caused by this weed in tomato production.