Fertilización complementada con sílice en la resistencia del tomate a Fusarium oxysporum Schtdl.

Tomato production stands in first place worldwide. This fruit presents benefits as an antioxidant and is widely used in the Mesoamerican cuisine. In this crop, Fusarium oxysporum causes one of the principal diseases that produce wilting and plant death. In fertilizers use, it is known that application of silica improves resistance to diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of fertilization supplemented with silica on resistance of tomato to F. oxysporum. In Peñuela, Veracruz, Mexico, from April to July 2015, doses recommended by the manufacturer, and also one 20% lower and other 20% higher of PSD, Silifertidol Ultra y Fosfosilidol fertilizers were applied to tomato plants. The benefit of silica in plant growth was significantly associated with fertilizer sources and the applied doses. The best result was observed when doses 20% higher than the recommended, were applied, and Cid F1 variety was more susceptible to F. oxysporum. The fertilizer with the best results on the severity and incidence was PSD, and best growth was observed when silica was applied at between 33 and 40%. This investigation reached as a conclusion that the application of fertilizers supplemented with silica, resulted in an improved growth of tomato plants and an increased resistance to F. oxysporum, due to the increase in photosynthetic activity and thickness of the cuticle.