Respuestas inducidas por ácido salicílico y Trichoderma sp. en el cultivo de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum) afectado con Fusarium sp.

Abstract

The cultivation of tomatoes is affected by Fusarium sp., a pathogen that causes vascular wilt, and the main method of control is chemical. Although there are other control alternatives, such as salicylic acid and Trichoderma sp., with this background, it was proposed to evaluate the effect of native strains of Trichoderma sp. combined with salicylic acid in the cultivation of Solanum lycopersicum L. tomatoes affected by Fusarium sp. To do this, an in vitro confrontation test was carried out between three native strains of Trichoderma sp. and Fusarium sp. to select the strain with the best performance. In the greenhouse, tomato plants were inoculated with Fusarium sp., and five treatments were applied, including Trichoderma sp. with and without a combination of salicylic acid (defense inducer) at minimum (150µM) and maximum (250µM) doses, with two controls, chemical and absolute. The three native strains of Trichoderma sp. from different locations showed growth at 24 hours of incubation, and at 76 hours of incubation, they covered the entire plate. In the antagonistic action, there was no statistical difference between the native strains; however, after seven days, the Santa Teresa strain showed total growth in the Petri dish and sporulation over the pathogen. The Trichoderma strains have an antagonistic effect on Fusarium sp. However, under field conditions, the best result was obtained with treatment 3 (250µM), which showed greater effectiveness in the different variables under study. The average plant height was 115.25 cm, the number of fruits was 29.50 (only surpassed by the chemical control), the fruit weight averaged 45.20g, and the mortality rate was 0.75. Tomato plants showed better responses to the pathogen and in their vegetative and reproductive variables with the addition of salicylic acid.