APPLICATION OF MICROELEMENTS AND SODIUM AND POTASSIUM SALTS ON TOMATO PLANTS AND THEIR ROLE IN SUPPRESSING POWDERY MILDEW DISEASE

BAKEER A.R.T.¹, ABDEL-LATEF M.A.E.², AFIFI M.A.³, BARAKAT M.E.^4
1Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum-63414, Egypt.
²Plant Pathology Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt.
³Plant Pathology Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt.
⁴Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum-63414, Egypt.

Received : 16-05-2012     Accepted : 10-02-2014     Published : 06-03-2014
Volume : 3     Issue : 1       Pages : 39 - 47
World Res J Agr Biotechnol 3.1 (2014):39-47

Conflict of Interest : None declared

Assessment of powdery mildew disease on tomato plants was carried out in different locations at Fayoum governorate during two successive autumn seasons (2006-2007). Disease severity was higher in Yousef El-Seddik County, (El-Khawagat and Hanna Habib, villages), while the least disease severity was recorded in Etsa County, (Mineshat Abd-Elmageed and El-prince, Villages). Results indicated that all foliar treatments of tomato plants with microelements, i.e. Iron, Zinc and Manganese, each alone or combination significantly reduced the severity of powdery mildew both under greenhouse conditions (before and after inoculation with the pathogen) and in open field. Different salts i.e. sodium and potassium carbonate and bicarbonate, sodium and potassium phosphate dibasic, sodium and potassium chloride decreased disease severity compared with control. In addition carbonate and bicarbonate salts were the most effective on powdery mildew, followed by phosphate dibasic. Meanwhile, Chloride salts had the lowest effect. These results were in an agreement with the results obtained under field conditions during the two successive seasons. Efficacy of different salts was evaluated under greenhouse before and after inoculation with powdery mildew and under field conditions at El-Khawagat village. The obtained results showed that carbonate and bicarbonate salts had the highest efficacy follow by phosphate dibasic phosphate, while chloride salts had the lowest efficacy on powdery mildew.