• Tomato crop have good economic value

as major fresh vegetable and in

processing.

• Healthy Tomato seedlings are main factor

in producing bumper and good quality

yield.

• To produce healthy tomato seedlings,

effective and eco-friendly management of

pests, diseases and weeds is necessary.

Healthy Seedlings of Tomato

Introduction

Healthy Seedlings of Tomato

Pests Management

Leaf miner: • Larvae of leaf miner creates white colored

zigzag lines / mines in leaf lamina tissues.

• Injuries made by leaf miner leads to reduced photosynthesis and secondary fungal and bacterial infections.

Management: • Leaf Miner can be managed by Collection

and destruction of infested leaves.

• Spraying 5 % Neem Seed Kernel Extract or Trizophos @ 20 ml/10 liter water or Metasystox @ 15 ml/10 liter water.

Infestation of leaf miner

Larvae of Leaf miner

White Fly:

• White flies are small in size and white in color.

• Nymphs and adults of whitefly suck the cell sap from leaves.

• Heavy infestation of white flies causes yellowing and chlorosis of leaves.

• Adults secrete honeydew like sweet substance on which black sooty mould grows.

• White flies acts as disease vector for transmission of Tomato Leaf Curl Virus (TLCV). Infestation is predominant in summer season.

Whitefly

Black sooty mould growth on leaf

• Conservative and Judicious use of nitrogenous fertilizers and

irrigation in nursery. Use of yellow sticky trap to attract adults and

Spraying of 5 % Neem Seed Kernel Extract on seedlings.

• Seed treatment with thiamethoxam 70 % @ 4.2 gm or

imidachlopride 70 % WS @ 7.5 gm/kg seed and Nursery bed

treatment with carbofuran 3-5 gm/sq. m. area

• Drenching with Imidachlopride 17.8 SL @ 6 ml/10 liter water and

Spraying Imidachlopride 17.8 SL @ 3 ml or methyl demeton 25 EC

@20 ml/10 liter water.

Management of Whitefly:

Diseases Management

Damping Off disease

• It occurs in pre-emergence and post-

emergence phases of seedling.

• In pre-emergence phase, seedlings die

and rot before they reach the bed surface.

• In post-emergence phase, the collar of

juvenile seedling becomes soft and water

soaked and infected seedlings collapse.Post emergence phase of damping off

disease.

Soil Treatment by Soil Solarization:

• Wet the soil with water in May-June

months, spread 200 gauge white

polythene on nursery area for 5-6

weeks.

• After 5-6 weeks, remove polythene

sheet and prepare the beds for seed

sowing.

Management of Damping Off

Soil Solariazation by Polythene Paper

• Drench the nursery soil with 1.5 to 2

% formalin solution and cover

drenched area with 200 gauge

polythene sheet. Seal the edges of

polythene sheet with wet soil for

effective sterilization. Do this 15-20

days before sowing.

• Remove the polythene cover after

15 days and prepare the beds for

seed sowing.

Application of Formalin

Cover soil after Formalin application

Formalin Solution Treatment

Application of Fungicides/Bio-fungicides:• Fungicides like Captan or Thiram are applied @ 5-6 gm /sq. m.

nursery bed. • Bio-fungicide like Trichoderma viride @ 3 gm /sq. m. is mixed with

FYM or media of nursery bed.

Seed Treatment• Seed treatment with fungal culture Trichoderma viride @ 4 gm/kg

of seed) or Thiram @ 3 gm/kg of seed.

Post Germination:• Soil drenching with Dithane M-45 or Copper oxychloride @ 3

gm/liter water.

Diseases Management

Weed control

• Spray pre emergence herbicide like Stomp @

3 ml/liter water on the nursery beds after seed

sowing.

• Seed should be covered with a mixture of

FYM, soil and sand.

• Timely weeding in nursery is very important to

grow healthy seedling.

Weed in Tomato Seedling

Weed free Tomato Seedlings