Abstract
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is a major vegetable crop in Nigeria and its culinary use cuts across class and culture, making it a crop of immense popularity. However, tomato cultivation in Nigeria is severely affected by bacterial wilt disease caused by the soil borne pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Survey of major tomato producing areas in the southwestern parts of the country showed epidemics of bacterial wilt with high incidences of 60-80% in fields. High yield loss of over 70% was observed in 60% of the fields and tomato cultivation was completely impossible in some areas due to high yield loss. The disease more recently is observed now across major agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Investigation into the isolation, identification and characterization of the pathogen preceded research efforts aimed towards the control. R. solanaceanum isolates were characterized to belong to race 1 biovar 3. Attempts made in the use of cultural control, host resistance gave variable results while the use of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) showed promising results. This paper addresses production constraints of tomato as a result of bacterial wilt disease, the research efforts targeted at these constraints are highlighted and recommendations are made on achieving a sustainable control to enhance the production level of tomato.
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