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Title: FOLIAR DISEASE MANAGEMENT WITHIN STAKED FRESH MARKET TOMATO POPULATIONS

Author
item Mills, Douglas
item Coffman, Charles
item Teasdale, John
item EVERTS, KATHRYNE - UNIV OF MD PROFESSOR
item Anderson, James

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The sustainable program at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center seeks to reduce off-farm inputs, such as fungicides, currently used in fresh market vegetable production. We are investigating foliar disease management in fresh market tomatoes grown in black plastic and hairy vetch mulch, dairy manure compost, and bare ground under no fungicide, weekly fungicide, and the foliar disease forecasting model, TOMCAST. The AUDPC value and canopy necrosis due to early blight declined in tomatoes grown in hairy vetch relative to the other culture methods in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, reduced soil deposition on tomato leaflets and reduced leaflet wetness duration correlated with lower AUDPC values for tomatoes grown in hairy vetch. Scheduling fungicide applications using TOMCAST reduced fungicide input approximately 50 % relative to the weekly schedule without reducing productivity or disease management. We will continue to examine microenvironmental and physiological factors associated with foliar disease reduction in the hairy vetch mulch.