AGENT ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY BLIGHT Alternaria alternata (FR.) KEISSLER IN THE Solanum lycopersicum L. TOMATO CROP IN MEXICO

Abstract

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Tomato is an important crop in Mexico, due mainly to its economic profitability. <strong>Objective. </strong>The objective of the research was to identify the agent associated with early blight in tomato at Morelos. <strong>Methodology.</strong> Samples of diseased plants were taken from a greenhouse at Jantetelco country of the Morelos state and taken to the laboratory. Later, 1 cm cuts of diseased and healthy tissue were made which disinfected with 3% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min and washed three times with sterile distilled water for 1 min. Later, four leaf cuts in were put in Petri dishes with PDA culture medium (Bioxon) kept at 25 °C ± 2 °C for 168 h, the pathogen purification was done by monoconidial cultures and pathogen identifying by morphocultural criteria and molecularly. <strong>Results.</strong> The agent associated with early blight was <em>Alternaria alternata</em>. <strong>Implications.</strong> Our result reveals the opportunity to improve the control of this pathogen. <strong>Conclusion.</strong> Although <em>A</em>. <em>alternata</em> to infect the fruit peduncle causing abortion, in this research the pathogen was found also in leaves. </p>