Prevalence of Fusarium Wilt in Tomato under Field Conditions in Jammu Region, J & K, India

A survey was conducted in year 2023 and 2024 to assess the incidence of Fusarium wilt in
major tomato growing areas across five districts of Jammu region— Udhampur, Jammu, Reasi,
Samba and Kathua. The overall incidence of Fusarium wilt was recorded 22.08 per cent, 21.41
per cent and 21.69 per cent, respectively in year 2023,2024 and mean of both the years. Among
the surveyed locations, the highest incidence was observed in Udhampur district followed by
Reasi, Jammu, Samba district. Conversely, the lowest incidence was recorded in Kathua district.
Pathogen isolation was performed using infected tissues from the root and collar regions on
potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Based on morphological characteristics and microscopic
observations, the pathogen was identified as Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Sacc.) W.C.
Snyder and H.N. Hans. Pathogenicity of the isolated fungus was confirmed through artificial
inoculation of tomato seedlings under controlled conditions.