Mohammad Rezvanjoo, Mehdi Sadravi, Alireza Khoshroo,
Volume 10, Issue 2 ((Spring and Summer) 2021)
Abstract
Rezvanjoo M, Sadravi M, Khoshroo A (2021) Impact of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on Fusarium wilt in three tomato cultivars. Plant Pathology Science 10(2):74-81. Doi: 10.2982/PPS.10.2.74.
Introduction: Wilt caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici is one of the most common and harmful diseases in most tomato growing areas. The disease damage is reported up to 27% of the yield in Iran. Biological control of the disease is an effective, environmentally friendly, and consumer health management method. The ability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to reduce many soil-borne diseases has been demonstrated, so this study was conducted to investigate the effect of a commercially available arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on disease severity in three tomato cultivars. Materials and Methods: The commercial inoculum of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus geosprum was obtained from the market. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized statistical design with four replicates for each treatment. Inoculum of G. geosprum was added to sterile soil in pots and then seeds of Super-Strain, Chef, and Super-Falat tomato cultivars were sown. Seedling roots were inoculated at the three to the six-leaf stage with a spore suspension of a hypervirulent isolate of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Data on the severity of the disease, stem height, root length were collected after the appearance of wilting symptoms and analyzed with the SPSS 20 software and the means values were compared. Results: The severity of the disease was significantly reduced in all cultivars treated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, and the stem height and root length were higher than those with no mycorrhizal fungus. Conclusion: The ability of G. geosporum, to reduce the severity of Fusarium wilt disease and increase the growth of tomato plants is reported for the first time.
