Effects of different organic anti-fungal treatments on tomato plant productivity and selected nutritional components of tomato fruit.

摘要

Organic farming and horticulture require the use of more environmentally-friendly chemicals to reduce potentially harmful side-effects on producers and on consumer health. S is one of the most important natural fungicides used in organic farming to protect plants against attack by powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica). Use of natural elicitors to induce natural resistance against fungal diseases may provide an alternative to conventional treatments. Effects of wettable S and 2 elicitors (ChitoplantReg. and MilsanaReg.) on the productivity and nutritional quality of tomato (cv. Belladonna) were determined. Both elicitors, and a conventional S treatment resulted in a similar degree of protection against powdery mildew. One or more of these 3 treatments positively affected the concn. of some natural phytochemicals in tomatoes (e.g., ascorbic acid, quercetin trisaccharide, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, beta-carotene and K) compared with untreated control plants. The minimal environmental impact and absence of any negative side-effects on growers and consumer health may encourage use of these elicitors in organic farming and horticulture.