Grafted Tomatoes: A Potential Innovation for Bacterial Wilt Disease Management, Improved Yield, Food Security and Nutrition in Uganda

Abstract

Limited availability and consumption of high-nutrient fresh foods has led to malnutrition which is a serious developmental concern in Uganda, as a result of inadequate access to quality foods such as vegetables, lack of awareness of appropriate food and nutrition requirements; and unhealthy lifestyles and food behaviour. This has resulted in 29% stunting of children below five years, 11% underweight and 3.4% wasted which, in turn affects agricultural labor leading to abject poverty. Accessibility of essential foods such as tomatoes is considered a necessary behavioral change in the nutritional status of Ugandans. Although on their own, tomatoes might not make a complete meal, you often will not enjoy a meal without tomatoes as they make our food tasty and are a dietary item for nearly every household. They have numerous health benefits for a well-balanced diet and a key source of essential nutrients including vitamin A, C and E, with approximately 20 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams. Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) is the biggest challenge facing the tomato growers in Uganda. Although the disease targets primarily tomatoes, it is also a problem for potatoes, peppers, eggplant and other crops as well as weeds in the Solanaceous family, which act as natural alternate hosts. Almost all the commercial tomato varieties highly demanded by consumers in Uganda and the regional markets are susceptible to bacterial wilt. As an intervention from a consortium of partners, rootstock varieties resistant to the bacterial wilt disease were introduced from the Netherlands and evaluated for compatibility with highly demanded commercial varieties, in Uganda. Results clearly demonstrated that our method of grafting (splice method), was the most effective and suitable for Uganda, with survival and recovery of plants in most cases reaching over 80%. All seedlings were able to grow normally, after hardening both in greenhouses, on-station and on-farmers’ fields. Among the rootstocks, E15M00025 performed best in graft recovery and also in yield and resistance to bacterial wilt. This line was also highly compatible with other lines including Anja F1 as a scion. As for scions, Anja F1 again performed best followed by Morelia F1 and then Randah F1 (E15A.60035) F1