Abstract
Cultivation of tomatoes in Caribbean region are affected by many bacterial, fungal and virus infections causing reduction in crop yield and quality of the fruits. Current disease management practises rely heavily on chemical usage, which usually exceeds recommended levels specified by environmental protection and food safety agencies. Integrated disease management (IDM) involves the coordinated use of multiple tactics to control diseases that optimizes both economic and environmental factors. A three-year study involving IDM in tomatoes was carried out across fields in Trinidad and other Caribbean territories looking at chemical, biological, cultural and nonconventional control of pests and diseases. Diseases were monitored and scored for both severity and progression and the effects of the IDM on plant disease incidences were recorded. Based on this study, various combinations of IDM treatments were found to effectively reduce the disease incidences in the field.
