At Bioleft, we understand that plant health is a fundamental pillar for seed sovereignty. Therefore, within the framework of the participatory tomato breeding program and in response to requests from growers to identify the main diseases of this season, we organized a virtual meeting to share agroecological diagnosis and management tools.
This webinar was a collective endeavor coordinated by Bioleft–UNSAM, with the support of the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Buenos Aires (FAUBA), the Ministry of Agrarian Development of the Province of Buenos Aires (MDA), and Global Shapers Córdoba. We had the generous participation of three leading experts in the field who provided an integral agronomic perspective:
- Raúl Zapata (FAUBA): Specialist in fungal diseases and biological control of soil-borne pathogens.
- Ana María Romero (FAUBA): Specialist in bacterial diseases of tomato.
- Paola López Lambertini (INTA-IPAVE): Specialist in virology, from molecular biology to field expression.
Key points of the meeting and where to find them
To help you consult the most relevant technical topics, we organized the highlights of the video:
1. Environmental management and prevention
Raúl Zapata explained how greenhouse conditions and cultural practices influence plant health:
- Microclimate and plant density: How humidity and lack of ventilation favor pathogens. (Min. 04:50).
- Pruning stress: Suckering wounds are points of entry that take up to 3 days to heal. (Min. 05:40).
2. Soil fungi and biological control
Strategies were addressed to prevent pathogen buildup without resorting to prohibited chemical inputs:
- Solarization: Use of solar heat to physically sanitize the soil. (Min. 23:35).
- Trichoderma: Application of microorganisms to compete with and parasitize pathogenic fungi. (Min. 28:40).
3. Bacteria: Home diagnostics
Ana María Romero taught a simple technique to identify bacterial canker::
- Water glass test: When submerging a cut stem, a milky stream confirms the presence of bacteria. (Min. 43:20).
- Desinfección de herramientas: Key to preventing disease spread during agricultural tasks. (Min. 57:45).
4. Viruses and prevention
Paola Lambertini detalló los desafíos de las virosis, que no tienen cura una vez instaladas:
- Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV): Its high stability makes it persistent on hands, clothing, and tools. (Min. 01:10:00).
- Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV / "Peste Negra"): The role of thrips as vectors and the importance of monitoring surrounding weeds. (Min. 01:16:20).
5. Seed health (The core of Bioleft)
Knowing which seeds to save is vital for the health of upcoming campaigns:
- Fruit selection: Save seeds exclusively from plants that remained healthy. (Min. 53:00).
- Heat treatment: Use of hot water (52–56°C) to disinfect seeds without damaging them. (Min. 53:40).
This webinar reinforces our goal of fostering dialogue across diverse disciplines and forms of knowledge to create knowledge exchange networks.