Effect of soil amendments on damping-off disease of tomato

Abstract

Different soil amendments obtained commercially were tested for their ability to suppress damping-off disease of tomato. Compost, animal manure, inorganic fertilizer, and green manure were applied to autoclaved soil prior to addition of a pathogenic inoculum. The biological control of the damping-off disease was evaluated by monitoring disease incidence in every plot of 50 seedlings for 25 days. Compost and animal manure significantly reduced disease incidence while green manure and inorganic fertilizer did not yield significant results as compared to the nonamended control soil. Percent emergence, dry matter content, and height were not at all affected by the different treatments.