Comparison of Inoculation Methods for Screening Tomato, Pepper, and Aubergine Plants Inoculated with Neoscytalidium Novaehollandiae

Neoscytalidium novaehollandiae is a highly destructive fungus that causes serious yield losses in economically important crop plants. A reliable and rapid inoculation method for Neoscytalidium novaehollandiae was evaluated in eggplant, tomato and pepper seedlings under greenhouse conditions. Three different inoculation methods namely, cut-stem, spray, and injection were evaluated on tomato, pepper, and aubergine seedlings. The results showed that the cut-stem and injection methods were effective on tomato, pepper, and aubergine plants while the spray inoculation method was not found effective. Especially, the cut-stem inoculation method appears to be the most appropriate method for pathogenicity and screening of seedlings for N. novaehollandiae pathogenicity.