Impacts of Different Sources of Carbonates on Growth of <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>lycopersici</i> in Different Growth Media

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) is the most common soil-borne pathogen that causes wilt in many plant crops, among which the tomato is one of the most susceptible crops. This experiment is conducted to analyse the impacts of inorganic carbon compounds i.e., calcium carbonate CaCO₃, sodium carbonate Na₂CO₃ and potassium bicarbonate KHCO₃ on the growth of FOL causing wilt in tomato plant in different culture media including Malt Extract Agar (MEA), Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and V8. Three concentrations viz 0.5 g/L, 1 g/L and 1.5 g/L of each carbonate are applied. The study indicates that the efficiency of carbon compounds is related to the nature of the media. Among various carbon compounds tested in the present study, maximum growth is obtained with KHCO₃ while FOL showed least growth with Na₂CO₃ in each of the three media. MEA has more profound effect on limiting the growth and biomass of the fungus than compared to V8 and PDA. This shows Fusarium growth is restricted in the chemical environment containing Na₂CO₃ and MEA. In addition, the study reflects that Fusarium thrives well in PDA containing KHCO₃ in each of its three concentrations which may be involved in vegetative and reproductive growth. This study paves a path for further research on how the growth behavior of FOL can be controlled under the influence of inorganic carbon compounds in the soil and yet in the face of environmental changes.