Rj. Mcgovern et al., EVALUATION OF APPLICATION METHODS OF METAM SODIUM FOR MANAGEMENT OF FUSARIUM CROWN AND ROOT-ROT IN TOMATO IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, Plant disease, 82(8), 1998, pp. 919-923
Experiments were conducted during 1992 to 1995 to evaluate the effecti
veness of application methods of metam sodium (MS; sodium N-methyldith
io-carbamate) for the management of Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR)
caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.radicis-lycopersici in mulched and
staked tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) grown on raised beds
in commercial fields in southwest Florida. Efficacy of MS was compared
with soil-injection of methyl bromide-chloropicrin (MBC), the current
industry practice for production of tomatoes in Florida. The incidenc
e of FCRR was consistently high in nontreated plots (80 to 100%), but
disease severity varied by site, and yields were reduced by 10 to 57%
at sites with high disease severity when compared to sites treated wit
h MBC at 336 to 448 kg/ha. Application of MBC reduced FCRR incidence i
n all experiments. Chemigation with MS at 701 or 935 liters/ha into mu
lched beds using either one or two drip irrigation tubes placed on the
soil surface, and soil injection of MS at 935 liters/ha, failed to re
duce the disease. The application of MS at 935 liters/ha to the soil s
urface prior to bed formation produced variable results. Rotovation of
MS at the same rate into preformed beds consistently produced reducti
ons in the incidence of FCRR equivalent to those achieved by MBC.