EVALUATION
OF FERTILIZATION AND ORGANIC
TREATMENTS
ON CONTROLLING POTATO
BACTERIAL
WILT DISEASE
[69]
Attempts were carried out to manage bacterial wilt
of potato caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabunchi et al
race 3, biovar
II, under
greenhouse conditions.
These attempts were succeeded by amending infested soil with different chemical
fertilizers and organic matters alone or in combination at different doses. It
was found that chemical fertilizer was more effective than organic matter
treatments in reducing disease severity and population of virulent forms of R.
solanacearum which associated with increasing avirulent forms of the
bacterium. Increasing doses of fertilizers or organic matters led to increase
effectiveness on disease severity and population of virulent or avirulent forms
of the bacterium. Application of urea as chemical fertilizer was the most
effective treatments followed by potassium sulfate, ammonium sulfate and
ammonium super phosphate. While, application of dry ground leaves of garlic as
organic matter was the most effective treatments in
reducing disease severity and population of virulent forms of the pathogen
followed by cabbage and comphor. On the contrary, using farm-yard manure as
organic
treatment caused an increase in disease severity and population of virulent
forms of the pathogen.
However, combining
chemical fertilizers
with organic
matters in treatments
significantly effectively reduced disease severity, population of
virulent forms of the pathogen and increased population of avirulent forms of
the bacterium than either of them alone. Combination between urea as chemical
fertilizer and dry ground leaves of garlic as organic matter was the most
effective treatment.