Opara, Emma Umunna Bassey, Inemesit Ndarake
A study was carried out in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State to determine the response of six different tomato varieties to common bacterial wilt disease of tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) both in field and culture. The experiment was laid out in Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD). The treatments employed were wood ash material and aqueous extract. Data obtained from the pot experiment showed that var plumpty had the highest disease severity (1.97) followed by the var sahel (1.83), var local (1.55), var GS12 (1.27) and var RFT 732216 (1.27) while var tylka had the least disease severity (1.00). From the field work, percentage disease incidence data obtained showed that saw dust ash (628.90) and wood ash (555.07) proved to be more effective at P>0.05 while oil palm bunch ash (495.10) was less effective. From the laboratory experiment, results obtained showed that Vernonia amygdalina (0.66) and Azadiracta indica (0.57) were more effective in inhibiting the radial growth of the bacterial pathogen of tomato in culture (P>0.05) while Chromoleana odorata (0.51) was least effective. From this trial conducted it was observed that aqueous extracts of Azadiracta indica , V. amygdalina, on one hand and wood ash and saw dust on the other hand were found to have some bactericidal effect on bacterial wilt diseases of tomato therefore may serve as alternative to pesticides use by farmers in the South East agro ecological zone.
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