Effect of using spunbond in tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) production on yield and diseases during the dry season

Spunbond is a non-woven fabric textile cover made from polypropylene, very light, flexible and semi-transparent material. Applied as a plant row cover, it offers protection for plants against insect pests like vectors of viral diseases, especially during dry season when infestation is high, which could damage the vegetable crops. Spunbond row cover was used on tomato production in managing whitefly infestation and transmission of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) disease during summer in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Tomatoes were transplanted in randomized complete block design with three replications: with and without spunbond treatments. Two cultivars were used: ‘Petchompoo 2’, intermediate resistant and ‘Thep Prathan’, susceptible to TYLCV. The results showed an interaction between treatments and cultivars on marketable yield. Spunbond row cover resulted in ‘Petchompoo 2’ increasing by 39% and ‘Thep Prathan’ increasing by 241% on marketable yield compared to without spunbond condition. Viral disease incidence and severity were significantly affected. With spunbond row cover, tomatoes exhibited lower viral disease incidence at 1.3% and lowest disease severity index at 0.2% on leaves of ‘Thep Prathan’. The cost-benefit analysis revealed a 17% increase in investment for spunbond cover. However, with spunbond the increase of yield of susceptible cultivar was 28 t ha^‑1 and for the intermediate resistant cultivar 12.3 t ha^‑1. With the current marketable prices the increased yield at both cultivars was not sufficient to compensate for the higher investment costs. It is more beneficial and reasonable to use on a susceptible cultivar where the product is mostly demanded by the market. Based on agronomic performance, the present study has proven the benefit of using spunbond as plant cover to lower viral disease occurrence and increase yield in tomato production during the dry season. Nevertheless, from the economic analysis, the investment should be studied further to improve the cost efficiency of spunbond as plant cover and achieve higher profits.