Efficacy of plant-based fungicide formulations on tomato late blight disease management in Tanzania
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study evaluated the effectiveness of plant-based fungicide formulations in managing tomato late blight (TLB), caused by Phytophthora infestans . Infected tomato leaves were collected from farmers’ fields in Karangai Village, Arumeru District, and used for pathogen isolation at the NM-AIST laboratory. In vitro trials identified two promising formulations: garlic extract combined with sunflower oil (GaSu₃) and sunflower oil combined with ginger extract (SuGi₃), which inhibited fungal colony growth to 2.8 ± 0.05% and 4.5 ± 0.07%, respectively, compared to the untreated control. These formulations were further evaluated in a screen house trial involving 10 treatments, including plant-based fungicides, synthetic fungicides applied at different intervals, and an untreated control. A completely randomized design (CRD) was employed with three replications, resulting in a total of 30 plots and 60 plants. The results revealed that all treatments experienced a 100% disease incidence; however, disease severity differed significantly ( p ≤ 0.001). The highest proportion of uninfected fruits was observed in the synthetic fungicide treatments (96.3–99.3%), followed by the plant-based treatments (55.6–67.9%). The untreated control recorded the lowest proportion of uninfected fruits (48.4%). These findings indicate that although plant-based fungicides are less effective than synthetic fungicides, they significantly reduce disease severity and offer a viable, environmentally sustainable option for managing tomato late blight (TLB) in tomato production.
Source: Journal of Plant Pathology
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W4413358103