Development of bacillus sp based Biological Fungicide against Fusarius oxysporum wilt of tomatoes

Fusarium wilt is considered one of most important disease of crops and especially vegetables in fields and greenhouses. The disease is characterized by wilting of plants, yellowing of leaves and reduced to even total loss of crop yield. In Tanzania, Fusarium wilt has been reported in many crops, however, Foxysporum f.sp lycopersici specifically attacks tomato plants and  causes systemic disease of the root and stem.

Fusarium wilt is commonly controlled by integrating the use of chemical fungicides and selection of resistant host cultivars. However, increased use of chemical fungicides has a negative impact on the environment and human health due to chemical residues. Cultivar  selection, on the other  hand, is a complicated and costly procedure for small farmers to perform. Biological control has increasingly become an acceptable, non hazardous strategy to reduce crop pathogens by  antibiosis, competition, parasitism, cell wall degrading enzymes and induced resistance. Among widely used fungicidal agents include the bacteria of which the Bacillus spp appear most potent . This study aims  to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of  local isolates of the  Bacillus against  F. oxysporum  wilt of tomatoes in vitro, and  in experimental field conditions in Morogoro region.