© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Plant Protection and IPM Department, Faculty of Agri-
culture, Mutah University, P.O. Box 7, Karak, 61710, Jor-
dan
E-mail:
Hellenic Plant Protection Journal
7
:
35-42, 2014
Enhancement of tomato growth, yield and resistance to the
root-knot nematode (
Meloidogyne javanica
) after the field
application of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
M.R. Karajeh
Summary
Effects of the yeast fungus
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
on tomato cv. Asala and its interac-
tion with the root-knot nematode
Meloidogyne javanica
were evaluated under field conditions. The
yeast was equally effective as the reference nematicide (a.i. oxamyl). It was more effective than hydro-
gen peroxide when applied as a rhizospheric soil drench leading to a significant reduction of root gall-
ing and nematode reproduction ability as compared to the untreated control. Furthermore, field ap-
plication of
S. cerevisiae
improved tomato growth and yield and increased nematode resistance of to-
mato cv
.
Asala through increasing its root total phenolic content in a similar way as exogenously ap-
plied hydrogen peroxide.
Additional Keywords
:
pest management,
Solanum lycopersicum
, vegetable crops
Introduction
Tomato (
Solanum lycopersicum
L.) is the
most economically important and widely
cultivated vegetable crop in Jordan. Howev-
er, yield is reduced by many fungal, bacte-
rial, viral and nematode diseases especially
by the root knot disease caused by the root-
knot nematode (RKN),
Meloidogyne
spp., e.g.
M. javanica,
which is the most common spe-
cies in Jordan (Abu-Gharbieh
et al.
, 2005; Ka-
rajeh and Al-Nasir, 2013).
The application of nematicides to con-
trol plant-parasitic nematodes is expensive
and greatly hazardous for the environment
and humans (Thomason, 1987). Thus, there
is a need to develop alternative control
measures to manage plant-parasitic nema-
tode under field conditions. Hydrogen per-
oxide (H
2
O
2
) has been reported as relative-
ly environmentally safe and has been used
as soil drench for nematode control (Jans-
en
et al.
2002; Karajeh, 2008). The applica-
tion of biological agents may enhance crop
production and induce resistance to many
diseases.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
is consid-
ered a promising nematode controlling fac-
tor that recently became a possible alterna-
tive to chemical fertilizers, safe for humans,
animals and the environment (Akhtar and
Alam, 1990; Omran, 2000). The yeast is a nat-
ural growth stimulator due to it’s high con-
tent in proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acid,
lipids, vitamins and various minerals (War-
ring and Philips, 1973) and its enhancement
of phosphorus and manganese uptake by
plant roots (Mekki and Ahmed, 2005). The
potential use of yeast fungi as bio-control
agents of soil-borne plant pathogens and
plant growth promoters has recently been
investigated (Ismail
et al.
, 2005; El-Tarabi-
ly and Sivasithamparam, 2006; Azzam
et al
.,
2012; Karajeh, 2013). The yeast fungus
S. cer-
evisiae
reduced
M. incognita
infection of the
Egyptian henbane,
Hyoscyamus muticus
and
increased its growth (Youssef and Soliman,
1997).
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
was able to
suppress the population of
M. javanica
and
root gall formation on cucumber through
its effect on nematode infectivity and re-
production and through inducing plant re-
sistance and enhancing fruit production of
cucumber under field conditions (Karajeh,
