METHYL BROMIDE ALTERNATIVES FOR CONTROLLING FUSARIUM WILT AND ROOT KNOT NEMATODES IN TOMATOES IN TURKEY

Soil disinfestation is a routine application done before plant transplantation in greenhouses. Solarization alone or in combination with low dosage of fumigants has been adopted by a great number of farmers in many Mediterranean countries and has so in Turkey. This study was conducted in tomatoes grown in greenhouse for occurrence of Fusarium wilt (F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici) and root rot nematodes (Melodiogyne javanica and Meloidogyne incognita). The experiment was conducted in one greenhouse during the summer period in 2006. Solarization in combination with low dosages of Metham Sodium (MS- 2 dosages) and Dazomet (DZ) were tested against soil borne pathogens and nematodes. Effect of different applications on disease incidence, root knot index and the yield was evaluated in 2007. Solarization application alone was not found sufficient with 35% efficiency. When the combination with the low dosages of fumigants was applied, the resulting effect was found successful. In the dosages of Sol.+DZ 400 kg ha-1, Sol.+MS 750 l ha^-1, Sol. + MS 1000 l ha^-1 the effect was recorded as 54.1%, 51.9% and 83.9% respectively. Tomato yield taken from November to January resulted to be 70 tons ha^-1 in control plots while it was 110 tons ha^-1 in combination of solarization with the low dosages of MS and DZ. Density of root knot nematode decreased in all applications of this study.