Screening tomato accessions for resistance to bacterial wilt

Abstract

Eighty seven Makerere University tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) accessions were screened for resistance to Raistonia solanacearum under natural infestation. Most of the accessions showed susceptible reactions (>20%wilt), but accessions MT9, MT19, MT40, MT49, MTS4, MTS, MT74, M178, and MT98 showed resistant reaction (<10%wilt). Accessions MTZ, MT65, MT69,MT70, MT80, and MT100 previously reported to be resistant to bacterial wilt proved susceptible to the disease. Additionally, latent infection was present in most of the selected resistant accession. Five isolates of R. solanacearun isolated from plants collected from different parts of Uganda were characterised by physiological tests. Based on Haywards classification scheme, all the isolates were biovar 3.