7th Call - Naalamle Amissah
Project Title: Grafting as a Means to Control Meloidogyne Infestation in Tomato Genotypes.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Naalamle Amissah (Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana)
Email Address: naalamle@gmail.com / namissah@ug.edu.gh
Award Amount: GHC 24,983.00
Project Status: On-going
Summary:
Tomato cultivation is a significant economic activity in Ghana, especially in the Northern, Upper East and southern Volta regions of the country. In 2008, tomato exports earned the country US$ 25,992 (GIPC, 2009). Tomato is said to be the most lucrative crop in the Upper East region being more profitable than rice, maize, groundnuts, yam, pepper and dairy. Close to 90% of the two million people living in these areas cultivate tomato (Jaiteh, 2010). Despite its foreign exchange earning power, overall tomato production in the country has decreased steadily due to high incidences of pest and diseases, low soil fertility and high post-harvest losses (Jaiteh, 2010, Robinson et al.2010, Yeboah, 2011). To make up for the production shortfall, the country currently imports fresh fruits from Burkina Faso and canned tomato paste from countries such as China, Italy, the USA and Spain (Khor, 2009).
One of the main causes for the decrease in tomato production in the country is the vulnerability of the crop to various pest and diseases including nematode, fungal, viral, bacterial diseases (Horna et al., 2006). The most destructive form of pathogen that infests tomato plants is the Meloidogyne spp (root knot nematodes), it infects a wide range of important crop plants and are particularly damaging to vegetable crops in tropical and subtropical countries (Sikora and Fernandez 2005). To solve the problem major tomato producing and exporting countries like Japan and the USA have resorted to grafting desired cultivars onto specific rootstocks proven to be resistant to soil-borne diseases and nematodes. It is estimated that 40 million grafted seedlings are being used in North American greenhouses (Kubota, et al. 2008). The grafting technology has the potential to improve pathogen resistance using identified nematode resistant rootstocks with the ultimate goal of enhancing fruit production to meet local and foreign demand.
This research seeks to evaluate three widely cultivated tomato varieties in Ghana (Pectomech, Roma and Wosowoso) grafted onto three nematode resistant Solanum spp. (Solanum torvum, Mongal T-11 and Solanum macrocarpon) for nematode resistance, agronomic performance, yield and fruit quality attributes.