Pythium root rot is an aggressive soil-borne disease affecting tomato plants; it results in dense damage to root systems; it leads to stunting, wilting and sometimes death of the tomato plant. This is a rust fungal-like pathogen that prefers water logged and poorly drained soils especially where the weather is cool. It is significant to study the symptoms, the cause, and the ways on how to control and manage the root rot pythium if you don’t want your tomato plants to be affected. Knowing pythium root rot cure can always be helpful. To know about how to cure root rot in soil, continue reading the blog.
Early identification of Pythium root rot is essential for minimizing damage. Common symptoms pythium root rot tomatoes include:
Pythium species thrive in conditions that promote high soil moisture and poor drainage. Pythium disease can always be dangerous. The key causes include:
Some of the cultural practices which may be useful in avoiding Pythium root rot include those that enhance soil structure, and reduce soil moisture which enhances growth of the pathogen. The use of these methods is the first step in managing this disease.
Do not water the plant too much and the soil it should drain well in order to avoid water clogging. Soil drench the plants with a drip system so that you are giving water at the root base not wetting up the whole zone. Water your plants in the morning so that, if there is any excess water, it will dry up during the day.
You should also work organic matter such as compost into your soil in order to enhance its texture and percolation. This will minimise chances of compactness, which usually result in waterlogged conditions. They can also be helpful in problem soils which are poorly drained since people can develop raised beds which enhance water drainage.
Do not repeat planting tomatoes or any other susceptible plant in the same area of the garden season after season. Crop rotation makes it easy to break the disease cycle hence limiting the accumulation of Pythium in the soil. Besides the host plants like cereal crops or pulses, farmers can also intercrop them in his or her farm as a way of reducing the possibility of getting infected.
Before planting, it is recommended that you use ploughing since this will help in disintegrating the compactness since this enhances the aeration and water drainage. It is better to stay away from clay-like types of soils that are usually waterlogged. Loosening the soil can be done by incorporating sand or organic matter, to make the soil have a wrong drainage capacity.
One of the effective and bio cognitive techniques that have been used to fight Pythium root rot disease in tomatoes is biological control. Among various biological control agents against Pythium, Trichoderma is one of the best because it is a friendly fungus that replaces the disease-causing fungi and improves plant vigor. Knowing how to treat pythium root rot can always be helpful.
The best biological control product recommended for use in fighting Pythium root rot is Trianum Shield Trichoderma Bio-Fungicide produced by Novobac. The active thing in this preparation is Trichoderma harzianum, which by colonizing the root zone of tomatoes create a shield from Pythium infection and other root diseases.
It is able to not only kill the harmful fungi, but Trichoderma is also parasitic on them, displacing the dangerous fungi and denying them both resources and space. It also synthesizes enzymes that break down the cell walls of the Pythium fungus which in any case can infect the root system. Moreover, Trichoderma promotes root formation and increases the plant’s disease resistance so that tomatoes will be less prone to attacks in the future. Practical uses of Trianum Shield further develop the root system and improve the plant’s ability to withstand different environmental stresses, thereby improving the health and yield of tomato plants.
Besides Trichoderma, other gentlemen microbes like Bacillus subtilis too play a role in controlling Pythium which is a soil borne pathogen. These microbes fight Pythium physically for resources, then, antagonize and suppress the pathogen and decrease its population in the rhizosphere.
Endomycorrhizal fungi can be defined as those who exist symbiotically intimately with the roots of a host plant and enhances the effective absorbing surface area of the plant. Promoting a healthy root system is brought out through the enhancement of soil structure by these fungi and reduced root rot diseases. Besides, mycorrhizal fungi colonize in the root surfaces, they also produce a physical barrier which hinders the penetration of Pythium to the roots.
For Pythium root rot there must be a series of control measures that involve both cultural and bio- control measures. The first measures of control include: improving the poor internal drainage of the soil, controlling water to the developing area and to the crop for inhibiting the Pythium growth. These practices should be backed by biological control mechanisms such as Novobac’s Trianum Shield Trichoderma Bio-Fungicide that inhibits the pathogen to enhance protection of tomatoes.
It is thus important that cultural and biological control measures be employed in order to minimize Pythium root rot incidences and generally protect tomato production. This way a proper balance of the soil type is maintained where beneficiary organisms help in checking the effects of soil borne diseases.
Tomato growers need to be aware of Pythium root rot as this disease is deadly to tomatoes, however, all is not lost because you can employ certain measures to control Pythium root rot on tomatoes. Cultural practices such as early and late watering, inter cropping, and soil treatment bear a lot of responsibility for preventing Pythium from establishing itself. For long-term prevention and cure, biological control techniques which include Novobac’s Trianum Shield offers a broad, non-toxic approach to protect the roots of your plants.
When you apply any of the above approaches, you can have the best growing environment for your tomatoes. A close supervision coupled with early intervention is possible for Pythium root rot which implies generous production throughout the year. Pythium fungicides like Trianum Shield can always be helpful to protect the soil quality and tomatoes.
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