Two complementary techniques allow detection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici'm soils from two different tomato-cultivated areas of Chile

摘要

Fresh tomato is a highly profitable crop in northern and central Chile. Soil-borne pathogens such as Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici are becoming an increasing threat to the crop. Methyl bromide was widely used as a soil fumigant in these soils, but its use has not been allowed since December 2014. The detection of F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici in infected soils is important in order to develop alternative control strategies to methyl bromide. Two analytical methods have beenused to detect the presence of tomato-pathogenic isolates of Fusarium oxysporum: classical dilution plate technique and soil phytopathometry. Both methods were applied to 20 different soil samples, detecting F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici by thedilution technique in 15 of them and by soil phytopathometry in 13 of them. Complementing the two methods, 84% of samples expressed the pathogen. This confirms the presence of the forma specialis in the soils of both cropping areas.