Reduced Bacterial Wilt in Tomato Plants by Bactericidal Peroxyacetic Acid Mixture Treatment

Peroxyacetic acid mixture Perosan, composed of peroxyacetic acid, hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, was evaluated for eco-friendly management of tomato bacterial wilt by Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum. Perosan drastically suppressed in vitro growth of R. pseudosolanacearum in liquid cultures in dose- and incubation time-dependent manners. Higher perosan doses (0.1 and 1%) caused lowered pH and phytotoxicity to detached leaves of two tomato cultivars Cupirang and Benekia 220 in aqueous solution. Treatment with 0.01% of Perosan delayed wilting symptom significantly in the detached leaves of two cultivars inoculated with R. pseudosolanacearum (10(7) cfu/ml). Soil drenching of 5% Perosan solution in pots caused severe tissue collapse of tomato seedlings at the four-week-old stage of two tomato cultivars. Treatment with 1% Perosan by soil-drenching significantly reduced bacterial wilt in the tomato seedlings of two cultivars. These findings suggest that Perosan treatment can be applied to suppress bacterial wilt during tomato production.