Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated with Solanum lycopersicum L. (Tomato) Leaves in Alapoti, Ogun State Nigeria

Abstract

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) is an essential vegetable crop consumed worldwide. Major limiting factors in its production include fungal foliar diseases. Therefore, this work was aimed at investigating the fungi associated with diseased tomato leaves. Infected leaf samples (3 per plant, 30 plants per farm) of Kerewa variety were randomly collected at the expression of disease symptoms from 3 farms in Alapoti, Ogun State. Samples were cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar for fungal isolation. All isolates were identified using morphological and microscopic features. Pathogenicity test was conducted based on Koch’s postulates. Identified symptoms on the leaf samples were chlorosis, leaf spot and wilt. Fungi isolated from diseased tomato leaves were Aspergillus aculeatus, A. niger, A. tamarii, A. ustus, A. versicolor, Epicoccum nigrum, Fusarium oxysporum, Phialophora melinii, Phomopsis sp. and Trichodema asperellum. Fusarium oxysporum and Phomopsis sp. were found to be the causal organisms of the leaf infections. Due to the effect of the leaf diseases of the overall productivity of tomato, it is important to put in place adequate control measures to mitigate the effect of the diseases.