Soil drenching with Huwa-San TR50 for controlling Rhizoctonia solani (Kühn) and Fusarium solani (Marti) causing damping-off disease in tomato Lycopersicon esculentum (Mill)

Abstract

Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium solani were found to have an association with damping-off and complex wilt and root rot symptoms of tomato seedling plants gathered from various greenhouses in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The acquired isolates were found virulent enough to attack tomato plants (cv. Tres Cantos) causing complex wilt/rot diseases as well as pre and post emergence of damping-off diseases. These isolates present more virulence in the pathogenicity tests. Huwa-San TR50, a hydrogen peroxide solution that has been stabilized by adding a small amount of silver and has been used extensively as a germicide. Biocide agent Huwa-San TR50 (hydrogen peroxide with 3% silver), was examined for biological control of root wilt/rot and damping-off as well as growth augmentation of tomato plants in vitro and in vivo. The hostile biocide agent hampered growth of the tested morbific fungi and recorded highest inhibited growth in vitro. Under growth chamber condition, all treatments notably decreased root rot/wilt and damping-off intensity and resulted into an increase in the number of surviving plants. Moreover, under growth chamber conditions, these remedies caused an increase in growth parameters (height of plants, and weights when fresh and dry) of the surviving plants which were kept in pots rather than in control conditions. Tomato soil drenching with Huwa-San TR50 in concentration 12000, 14000 and 16000 ppm achieved the ideal results for combating root wilt/rot and damping-off diseases, as well as the highest growth parameters were recorded in growth chamber conditions with the addition of enhanced plant growth and higher yield constituents