Efficiency of Compost Supplemented with Beneficial Microorganisms in the Biological Control of Tomato Crown and Root Rot in Protected Agriculture

The study aimed to evaluate the role of compost supplemented with beneficial microorganisms and biological agents to reduce infection with the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis–lycopersici (FORL), which causes Fusarium crown and root rot disease of tomatoes. Antibiotic agents were added individually and in combination to compost treatments. The results obtained showed that adding to the olive compost the isolate T-zh-9 of Trichoderma viride alone led to significant disease control compared to other treatments. The fresh shoot weight reached 33.2 g/plant and the plant height 75.8 cm, in addition to high level of peroxidase enzyme activity of 1.57 and 1.04 μmol/mg, 15 and 30 days after infection with the pathogenic fungus, respectively. Adding the isolate FZB27 of Bacillus subtilis alone to the compost led to a reduction in the severity of infection with the pathogenic fungus FORL in plants treated with olive compost, reaching 13.9% compared to the control treatment (soil contaminated with pathogenic fungi (58.3%). Adding the two antibiotic isolates together to olive compost achieved the best results in reducing the severity of infection with the pathogenic fungus FORL and increasing the level of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity. Keywords: compost, tomato crown and root rot disease, biocontrol agents, and defense enzymes.