Induced Resistance in Tomato Plants Against Fusarium Wilt Invoked by Nonpathogenic Fusarium, Chitosan and Bion

The potential of nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum strain Avr5, either alone or in combination with chitosan and Bion, for inducing defense reaction in tomato plants inoculated with E oxyysporum f. sp lycopersici, was studied in vitro and glasshouse conditions. Application Bion at concentration of 5, 50, 100 and 500 mu g/ml, and the highest concentration of chitosan reduced in vitro growth of the pathogen. Nonpathogenic F oxysporum Avr5 reduced the disease severity of Fusarium wilt of tomato in split plants, significantly. Bion and chitosan applied on tomato seedlings at concentration 100 mu g a.i./plant; 15, 10 and 5 days before inoculation of pathogen. All treatments significantly reduced disease severity of Fusarium wilt of tomato relative to the infected control. The biggest disease reduction and increasing tomato growth belong to combination of nonpathogenic Fusarium and Bion. Growth rate of shoot and root markedly inhibited in tomato plants in response to tomato Fusarium wilt as compared with healthy control. These results suggest that reduction in disease incidence and promotion in growth parameters in tomato plants inoculated with nonpathogenic Fusarium and sprayed with elicitors could be related to the synergistic and cooperative effect between them, which lead to the induction and regulation of disease resistance. Combination of elicitors and nonpathogenic Fusarium synergistically inhibit the growth of pathogen and provide the first experimental support to the hypothesis that such synergy can contribute to enhanced fungal resistance in tomato. This chemical could provide a new approach for suppression of tomato Fusarium wilt, but its practical use needs further investigation.