Assessing the Efficacy of Chorax 72% Fungicide in the Management of Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) Disease on Tomatoes

Abstract

Emergency of fungal diseases can be controlled using chorax72% fungicide however, there is limited information on its effectiveness under Uganda's unique environment. This study evaluated the effectiveness of chorax72% fungicide in controlling late blight disease and its effect on yield of tomatoes. The research was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The different treatments dosages of Chorax 72% included the recommended (37.5g/10L of water), 25% higher (46.9g/10L) and 25% lower (28.1g/10L), a reference fungicide (mancozeb at 25g/10L) and untreated control. Data was collected on severity, incidence and tomato yield including fruit yield weight and marketable fruits. The results showed that there was significant difference(p<0.001) among the dosages of chorax72% on the disease severity and incidence. There was also significant effect of Chorax 72% on yield weight (p=0.015) and marketable fruits (p=0.012) of tomatoes. The 25% higher dosage of Chorax 72% showed the lowest disease severity and incidence (1.54 ± 0.60a and 0.20 ± 0.12a respectively) while the untreated control had the highest severity and incidence with 2.97 ± 0.74d and 0.91±0.11d respectively. The recommended dosage produced the highest fruit weight (2574g) and zero treatment had the lowest fruit weight (872g), both the recommended and 25% higher doses resulted in the highest number of marketable fruits(33.0fruits) compared to zero treatment (8.0fruits). This implies that the recommended (37.5g/10L) and 25% higher dosages (46.9g/10l) of Chorax 72% inhibits the pathogen growth on tomatoes leading to increased crop yield. Therefore, the recommended dosage (37.5g/10L) of chorax72% fungicide is recommended for controlling late blight disease in tomatoes in Uganda.