Biological Impact of Divergent Land Management Practices on Tomato Crop Health

ABSTRACT Development of sustainable food systems is contingent upon the adoption of land management practices that can mitigate damage from soilborne pests. Five diverse land management practices were studied for their impacts on Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici), galling of roots by Meloidogyne spp. and marketable yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and to identify associations between the severity of pest damage and the corresponding soil microbial community structure. The incidence of Fusarium wilt was >14% when tomato was cultivated following 3 to 4 years of an undisturbed weed fallow or continuous tillage disk fallow rotation and was >4% after 3 to 4 years of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) rotation or organic production practices that included soil amendments and cover crops. The incidence of Fusarium wilt under conventional tomato production with soil fumigation varied from 2% in 2003 to 15% in 2004. Repeated tomato cultivation increased Fusarium wilt by 20% or more except when...