Soil Solarization: an Eco-friendly Management Technique of Damping-off of Tomato

Abstract

The present study was conducted at experimental farm and laboratory of Dept. of Plant Pathology of Dr. YSPUHF, Nauni, Solan Himachal Pradesh in May 2017–November 2018. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of thermal water bathas well as soil solarization on soil temperature and viability of soil borne pathogens of tomato. The disease occurs in two phases i.e. pre-emergence and post emergence that leads to severe infection and crop loss. These pathogens are more likely to influence the development of damping-off disease and their eradication remains a difficult task. Among various eco-friendly methods of disease management, soil solarization is a recourse technique and has been attempted in the present study in mulched and un-mulched beds at three depths i.e., 5, 10 and 20 cm to check the effect of soil solarization on soil temperature. Nursery beds covered with polythene mulch noticed rise in soil temperature and data was recorded for two consecutive crop seasons i.e., 2018 and 2019, where average/ mean weekly temperature was recorded in range of 35.99º to 43.87ºC and 29.25º to 41.68ºC, respectively. The highest temperature was recorded for the nursery beds with 5 cm depth and vice-versa. Overall, conclusive evidence of the survival and killing of pathogens F. oxysporum and R. solani was observed for the corresponding 10 to 20 days and 30 to 40 days schedule of the soil solarization that represents the existence of pathogens.