Open AccessReduction of Corky Root Infections on Greenhouse Tomato Crops by Soil Solarization in South Italy
Author(s) -
A. Vitale,
I. Castello,
Giovanni Cascone,
A. D’Emilio,
R. Mazzarella,
G. Polizzi
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
plant disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.663
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1943-7692
pISSN - 0191-2917
DOI - 10.1094/pdis-06-10-0418
Subject(s) - soil solarization , solarisation , fumigation , mulch , biology , greenhouse , horticulture , agronomy , root rot
Five greenhouse experiments were conducted in southeastern Sicily (Italy) from 2000 to 2009 to evaluate the effectiveness of soil solarization in reducing natural infections of tomato corky root caused by Pyrenochaeta lycopersici. Tests were performed with clear, traditional, and innovative plastic films and fumigant applications. In all the trials, soil solarization was effective in controlling corky root disease relative to an untreated control. Although inducing different thermal regimes in the soil, the use of different greenhouse covering and mulching films for solarization proved effective in reducing corky root severity relative to the untreated control. Solarization reduced infections caused by P. lycopersici comparable with methyl bromide fumigation and greater than metham sodium and metham potassium. Among the tested films, green coextruded film may be most attractive because it can be left on after solarization as mulch.