Efficacy of biological products in an integrated pest and disease management system for tomato

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Kazakh Scientific Research Institute for Plant Protection and Quarantine, Almaty, Kazakhstan

10.22124/cjes.2026.9552

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops; however, its productivity under open-field conditions is significantly constrained by a complex of fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases, as well as insect pests. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated tomato protection system based on the application of protective-stimulating formulations for seed treatment under the agroecological conditions of southeastern Kazakhstan. Laboratory experiments included seed phytosanitary assessment and evaluation of the effects of protective-stimulating formulations on seed sowing quality and contamination with phytopathogens. Under field conditions, the biological and agronomic efficacy of integrated protection schemes against the major tomato diseases and pests was investigated.The results demonstrated that tomato seeds represented a significant source of bacterial infection. Application of the protective-stimulating formulation PSF No. 3 resulted in complete suppression of bacterial infection and a marked improvement in seed sowing quality. The integrated protection schemes effectively reduced the development of root rot and early blight (Alternaria spp.), with the highest yield obtained under protection scheme No. 2. The findings confirm the high potential of an integrated tomato protection system based on biological methods as a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical control strategies.

Keywords


Ali, MY, Sina, AAI, Khandker, SS, Neesa, L, Tanvir, E, Kabir, A, Khalil, MI & Gan, SH 2020, Nutritional composition and bioactive compounds in tomatoes and their impact on human health and disease: A review. Foods, 10: 45.
Butsenko, L, Pasichnyk, L, Kolomiiets, Y & Kalinichenko, A 2020, The effect of pesticides on the tomato bacterial speck disease pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Applied Sciences, 10: 3263.
Chapel, S, Pongener, N & Kangjam, V 2019, Integrated management of early blight of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) caused by Alternaria solani (Ellis and Martin) Jones and Grout. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 8: 2428-2436.
Desneux, N, Decourtye, A & Delpuech, J-M 2007, The sublethal effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods. Annual Review of Entomology, 52: 81–106.
Devi, NO, Tombisana Devi, R, Debbarma, M, Hajong, M & Thokchom, S 2022, Effect of endophytic Bacillus and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) against Fusarium wilt of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control, 32: 1.
Dong, H, Gao, R, Dong, Y, Yao, Q & Zhu, H 2023, Bacillus velezensis RC116 inhibits the pathogens of bacterial wilt and fusarium wilt in tomato with multiple biocontrol traits. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24: 8527.
Fira, D, Dimkić, I, Berić, T, Lozo, J & Stanković, S 2018, Biological control of plant pathogens by Bacillus species. Journal of Biotechnology, 285: 44-55.
Gnanamanickam, SS 2002, Biological control of crop diseases, Marcel Dekker New York.
He, D-C, He, M-H, Amalin, D M, Liu, W, Alvindia, D G & Zhan, J 2021, Biological control of plant diseases: An evolutionary and eco-economic consideration. Pathogens, 10: 1311.
Helmy, NM & Parang, K 2023, Cyclic peptides with antifungal properties derived from bacteria, fungi, plants, and synthetic sources. Pharmaceuticals, 16: 892.
Karačić, V, Miljaković, D, Marinković, J, Ignjatov, M, Milošević, D, Tamindžić, G & Ivanović, M 2024, Bacillus species: Excellent biocontrol agents against tomato diseases. Microorganisms, 12: 457.
Khezri, M, Allahyari Igdir, S & Aghazadeh Soureh, Z 2021, Tomato bacterial diseases in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Plant Pathology Science, 10: 86-96.
Kumar, M, Brar, A, Yadav, M, Chawade, A, Vivekanand, V & Pareek, N 2018, Chitinases—potential candidates for enhanced plant resistance towards fungal pathogens. Agriculture, 8: 88.
Ma, M, Taylor, PW, Chen, D, Vaghefi, N & He, J-Z 2023, Major soilborne pathogens of field processing tomatoes and management strategies. Microorganisms, 11: 263.
Mousa, MA, Abo-Elyousr, KA, Abdel Alal, A M & Alshareef, N O 2021, Management fusarium wilt disease in tomato by combinations of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and peppermint oil. Agronomy, 11: 2536.
Negesa, H & Ayana, G 2023, Identification and characterization of Alternaria species causing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) early blight in South Tigray Zone, Northern Ethiopia. Pest Managment Journal of Ethiopia, 26: 1-17.
Panno, S, Davino, S, Caruso, AG, Bertacca, S, Crnogorac, A, Mandić, A, Noris, E & Matić, S 2021, A review of the most common and economically important diseases that undermine the cultivation of tomato crop in the mediterranean basin. Agronomy, 11: 2188.
Poveda, J, Barquero, M & González-Andrés, F 2020, Insight into the microbiological control strategies against Botrytis cinerea using systemic plant resistance activation. Agronomy, 10: 1822.
Pretty, J, Benton, T, Bharucha, Z, Dicks, L, Flora, C, Godfray, H, Goulson, D, Hartley, S, Lampkin, N & Morris, C 2018, Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification. Nature Sustainability,   1: 441-446.
Ramakrishna, A, Desai, S, Devi, GU & Maheswari, TU 2024, Management of early blight of tomato caused by Alternaria solani by using bio-inoculants and chitosans under greenhouse conditions. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 46: 649-654.
Rodrigues, MHP & Furlong, EB 2022, Fungal diseases and natural defense mechanisms of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum): A review. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 122: 101906.
Salehzadeh, M, Afsharifar, A & Dehghanpour Farashah, S 2022, The first report of Tomato torrado virus (ToTV) occurrence in Iran. Iranian Journal of Plant Pathology, 58: 55-59.
Walters, DR, Ratsep, J & Havis, N D 2013, Controlling crop diseases using induced resistance: challenges for the future. Journal of experimental botany, 64: 1263-1280.
Yang, W & Francis, DM 2005, Marker-assisted selection for combining resistance to bacterial spot and bacterial speck in tomato. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 130: 716-721.