EFFECT OF HARPIN EA ON THE FRUIT PRODUCTION AND CONTROL OF PHYTOPHTHORA INFESTANS IN GREENHOUSE TOMATO

The protein harpin Ea is considered an effective stimulator of self-defense systems as well as of other physiological mechanisms in many plant species. This work studies the effect of harpin Ea in fruit production as well as in its possible control of Phytophthora infestans, a serious pathogen of open-field and greenhouse tomato cultivation. Harpin Ea was applied at a dose of 50.6 g/hl of the commercial product Messenger®. In order to study the possibility for control of tomato late blight (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) with harpin Ea, 200 g fosetyl-Al/hl (Aliette 80 WP formulation,) was chosen as control reference product. Daily growth, number of flowers and fruits per dcluster, percent fruit set and total yield per plant were measured in order to estimate the effect on production. Effectiveness of control of the pathogen was based on leaf spot and stem lesion development. Harpin Ea increased fruit set percentage by 6.9-7.7%, yield by 47.8-50.3%, as well as provided pathogen control ranging from 98.8 to 100% in comparison with the untreated control plants.