Disease responses of different tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars inoculated with culture filtrates of selected fungal pathogens

Abstract

This study evaluates the responses of different tomato cultivars to disease initiation by cell-free culture filtrates (CFCFs) of selected fungal pathogens. Twenty-one days old culture filtrates of four fungal pathogens; Alternaria triglochinicola, Aureobasidium pullulans, Pythium ultimum and Sclerotium rolfsii grown on Potato Sucrose Broth were tested against four tomatoes; Roma Savanna, Tropimech, Riogrande and Roma VF. Seed germination was inhibited by filtrates of Alternaria triglochinicola and Pythium ultimum. Plant heights were lower in Roma Savanna seedlings treated with filtrates of Sclerotium rolfsii (3.27 cm), and Alternaria triglochinicola (3.30 cm); Riogrande seedlings treated with filtrates of Pythium ultimum (2.22 cm) and Alternaria triglochinicola (2.46 cm), compared to controls (3.7 cm and 2.56 cm). Roma Savanna and Riogrande cultivars showed 25% and 50% necrotic responses respectively to Alternaria triglochinicola, while Roma VF showed 50.00% response to Aureobasidium pullulans. Differences in foliar symptoms induced by CFCFs of different fungal pathogens on the studied tomato cultivars were significant (P ≤ 0.05).