Effect of mulches on virus severity, growth and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) inoculated with cucumber mosaic virus

Abstract

Tomato plays a major role in human nutrition but viruses cause severe constraints in terms of yield and quality. There is however meager information on the effectiveness of mulches to ameliorate virus severity in tomato. Greenhouse experiment was conducted to assess the effect of polythene middies and grass mulches on virus severity, growth and yield of tomato mechanically inoculated with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV).Tomato seeds were sown in plastic pots filled with sandy-loam soil previously steam-sterilised. Seedlings where inoculated with CMV 21 days after germination and no-mulch as experimental control. The results indicated mulching significantly (P > 0.05) ameliorated virus severity. At 7th WAI polythene middies and grass mulches had virus severity of 12.4% and 16.5% respectively compared with 20% non-mulch plants. Vine length was tallest in the polythene middies (13.3 – 58.1 cm) and grass mulch (14.8 – 49.9cm). The average number of leaves (38.4) and stem girth (3.1cm) were significantly low for non-mulch compared to other treatments. The effect on yield indicated fruit weights being significantly (P > 0.05) higher for polythene middies (322.3g) and grass (225.1g) mulches compared to non-mulch (164.5g). The study recommends polythene middies and grass as mulch in managing viral infection in tomato.