Induced Systemic Resistance in Tomato Plants against Meloidogyne spp by Seed Treatment with Beta, Amino Butyric Acid and Benzothiadiazol

Abstract

Treatments of tomato seeds with BABA or BTH significantly (p=0.05) reduced nematode infestation of tomato plants. BABA treatment produced significantly the lowest average root gall index (RGI), 2.44 followed by BTH, 3.22 and 3.55 for the untreated nematode infested control plants 15 days after nematode inoculation(ANI).Treatments with BABA and BTH for 30, 60 and 120 min. also caused significantly (p=0.05) less nematode infestation compared with the untreated control plants. BABA caused significantly the lowest average RGI, 1.77 compared with 3.66 and 4.55 for BTH and control respectively. The 120 min  BABA treatment recorded significantly the lowest average number or J2 in the roots of tomato plants compared with 75.55 and 116.66 J2 in the roots BTH and control plants respectively. When seeds were socked for 120 min, root average fresh weight (RFW) and root dry weight (RDW) were significantly less, 2.58 and 0.14g in BTH treatments of seeds compared with 1.86, 0.10g for BABA and 5.01 and 0.29g for control respectively 50 days ANI. When seeds were socked for 120 min, the highest average SFW and SDW were, 8.05, 0.68g in BABA treatments, followed by 3.29, 0.22 and 2.43, 0.12g in BTH and control treatments respectively. The highest average SFW and SFW were also recorded for BABA treatments, 2.43, 0.12g followed by 1.5, 0,093 and 1.59, 0.092g in BTH and control respectively 15 days ANI. Similarly, BABA caused the highest average shoot weights 30 and 50 days ANI followed by BTH and control treatments.

Keywords: Induced  resistance, Meloidogyne spp, ?,amino butyric acid, Benzothaiadiazole, Seed treatment, Tomato.