Effect of Compost on Root Rot Disease Management to Increase Tomato Plants Productivity

Urban Farm DB summary

Over the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons at Sadat City farms (Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt), this study tested the effect of compost application on root-rot disease management and tomato productivity. Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii were isolated from rotted tomato plants as the main pathogens causing root rot and damping-off, which reduced yield. Adding plant residue, cow manure, or compost (plant residue plus cow manure) to soil before transplanting, at a rate of 1.2 kg/m², significantly reduced disease incidence and raised plant survival compared with untreated controls in both seasons. Compost — a tomato-rich organic fertilizer — applied at 1.2 kg/m² produced the largest reduction in disease incidence and the largest increases in vegetative growth (plant height, branches per plant, leaves per branch), yield parameters, flavonoid content, and total phenol content across both seasons; no clear significant differences were found between the plant-residue and cow-manure treatments in plant growth characteristics.