Scientists Zero In on Solutions for Bacterial Spot of Tomato

Posted by Paul Rusnak|October 17, 2022

Bacterial spot of tomato is a bane for growers. The plant pathogen is especially a problem where hot weather, high humidity, and rain provide the ideal environment for disease development. Thanks to a new $5.8 million grant from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a team of researchers are on a mission to come up with strategies to better mitigate the disease.

The problem lies less with farmers and more in how bacterial spot is managed along the production chain – from seed to field production, says Gary Vallad, UF/IFAS Professor of pathology. Vallad, the principal investigator for the grant, will lead a team of five other UF/IFAS faculty members for the Florida part of this project. In tandem, scientists from across the country also will be studying ways to better control bacterial spot of tomatoes.

Researchers will sample strains of bacterial spot from commercial transplant facilities that produce tomato seedlings for farming.

Vallad is aiming to reduce economic losses throughout the fresh-market and processing tomato industries. His goals for the project include:

Work with breeders to develop varieties with increased resistance to bacterial spot
Produce effective and safe bactericidal materials to limit bacterial spread and the development of resistant bacterial strains
Develop strategies to help prevent disease outbreaks
Improve capacity to identify and track new strains of the disease

“Giving farmers the tools and resources to tackle diseases like bacterial spot helps minimize their reliance on chemicals, thereby reducing unwanted impacts to the environment, while providing consumers a better U.S.-grown tomato,” Vallad concludes.