Evaluation of Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum (L.) Genotypes for their Reaction to Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) Infection in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) is among the most devastating viral diseases of tomato worldwide and it can cause yield losses of up to 40%.  One of the effective managements of plant viral diseases is the use of resistant genotypes. This research was conducted to determine the  reaction of tomato genotypes to Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) infection. The experiment consists of five tomato genotypes which  were evaluated for resistance to ToMV infection under screen-house conditions using Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three  replicates. The treatments were Dantaya, Danwarai, Dan-Niko, Dan-Heka, and Hybrid Platinum, which are the five most preferred farmers  varieties in Kebbi State. Prior to mechanical inoculation, ToMV-infected leaf samples used as source of inoculum were tested ToMV positive using Direct Antibody Coating-Enzyme Linked Immunoassay (DAC-ELISA). Thirty-six (36) seedlings of each genotype were  transplanted into plastic pots containing compost and seedlings recovery were recorded two weeks after transplanting (WAT) before inoculation. Hybrid Platinum has low establishment percentage (72.22%), compared to DanHeka and Dan-Niko with both 100%. All the  genotypes evaluated were infected when inoculated with ToMV but with significant variation (P = 0.05) in their reaction to ToMV infection.  Dantaya recorded the highest percent disease incidence of 50.00% while, Platinum recorded the lowest percent disease  incidence of 31.94%. Three genotypes were susceptible to ToMV while, two were resistant to ToMV. The high incidence of ToMV found on  farmers preferred tomato genotypes in Kebbi State is of great management concern. Also, this has implication for tomato productivity  and yield in the state.