Coordinating a Response to Tomato Bacterial
Disease Outbreaks in Ontario
Janice LeBoeuf
Vegetable Crop Specialist
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
The Ontario Tomato Industry
20,000
Acres
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
300,000
IN
250,000
MI
OH
Other states
Acres
200,000
150,000
Processing tomatoes
100,000
Area harvested
3-year average: 2002-2004
50,000
0
CA
IN
MI
OH
Other
states
ON
ON
The Ontario Tomato Industry
45000
40000
35000
Acres
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
FL CA OH VA GA PA TN NJ SC NC NY MI ON
Fresh market tomatoes
Area harvested
3-year average: 2001-2003
Issue: Bacterial Disease Outbreaks
• Bacterial spot and speck - primarily
• Bacterial canker - scattered, but severe in
2000 after storms left standing water
Impacts to Industry
• light spotting of the foliage vs. almost complete
defoliation of the plant
• sunscald, poor colour development, rots due to early
senescence of the foliage and lesions on the fruit
• fruit lesions reduce the quality of both fresh market
and processing fruit (especially serious in whole pack
or diced product) and interfere with peeling
• higher sorting costs on farm and in factory
• increased tare penalties and possibility of not
meeting contracted tonnage
• lower solids, increased costs, slower factory
operations, reduced peeled recovery for processors
• processors also risk falling short of packing goals
• Outbreaks usually associated with heavy
rain, high wind storm events
• Sometimes impacts widespread, sometimes
localized (2000 vs. 2003)
36
.2
36
.4
2002
2003
31
.6
37
.0
30.0
28
.4
1996
32
.0
1995
33
.3
31
.2
Tons/ac
40.0
35.0
31
.0
45.0
39
.6
Ontario Processing Tomato Average Yields
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
1997
1998
1999
2000
Tons/ac
2001
2004
Bacterial disease is a problem we struggle
with in tomatoes year after year.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.”
- Albert Einstein
So, what can we do differently?
What were we doing?
• Seed treatment - chlorine or acid - most processors - most
seed lots - always done right??
• Two to four year crop rotation
• Spray copper in greenhouse or in field when symptoms
appear
• Some growers using preventative sprays of copper - but
often just a few applications at long intervals
• Adding Bravo with copper as a sticker
• Speck resistant cultivars
• Minimize leaf wetness in greenhouse transplant production
• Increase in drip irrigation
• Good drainage
• Burying residue
• Research, extension efforts
The Tour:
Bacteria-palooza 2003
• Arranged an informal bacterial disease tour
with researchers, extension, processor
agricultural staff, crop consultants, Ontario
Processing Vegetable Growers directors
• Why did the outbreak occur?
• How could we have prevented it?
• How can we prevent future outbreaks?
• What are the critical gaps in our
knowledge?
Follow-up Meeting:
• On the tour, the group requested that I arrange a meeting
after tomato harvest to discuss the issue further
• At the meeting: researchers, extension, processor
agricultural staff, crop consultants, tomato breeders,
Ontario Tomato Seedling Growers’ Marketing Board rep,
Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers reps, Pest
Diagnostic Clinic (U of G), agribusiness
• Dr. Diane Cuppels reviewed what we know about the
biology of the bacterial spot pathogen
• Dr. Ron Pitblado discussed management strategies for
tomato bacterial diseases
• Then discussion...
What do we need to know to manage
these diseases more effectively?
• Does the Group D bacterial spot overwinter in Ontario?
• Is bacterial canker an issue, or mainly spot and speck?
• Is the spot population in Ontario developing resistance to
copper? Is it likely to?
• Are bacteria being introduced on peppers, fresh market
cultivars, small lots of specialized processing cultivars
being grown in the same transplant greenhouses?
• How can we minimize spread while handling and wettingup the transplants?
• Can “properly” treated seed still harbour bacteria?
• How can we be sure that purchased seed lots have been
treated?
What do we need to know to manage
these diseases more effectively?
• What is the threshold of infected seed required to cause an
outbreak?
• Is copper effective? Are we using it correctly? How is it
best used?
• Where did the inoculum come from? Infected seed?
Infected crop residue? Contaminated greenhouse or field
equipment? Weed hosts?
• How is it being spread? Infected transplants planted in the
field? Wind driven rain and mists? Processor staff, crop
scouts, critters moving through fields? Equipment?
• How far can it spread on wind driven rain?
• Do stressful growing conditions increase disease infection,
spread?
What do we need to know to manage
these diseases more effectively?
• Can we test for infected seed, non-symptomatic infected
transplants reliably and economically?
• How many seeds or transplants do we need to test to get
meaningful results?
• Is group D more virulent, more destructive?
• Is there a lab in Ontario that will do PCR diagnosis on
these diseases? Can we test seeds, seedlings, plants?
• What are they doing in other tomato-growing areas?
???
Action Plan
• Use what we know to try to manage
bacterial disease more effectively
• Agree on priorities for research to answer
some of our questions
• Focus on three aspects of production: seed,
transplant greenhouse, field
Seed
OTSGMB
• Recommend transplant growers test
questionable seed lots for the presence of
acid or chlorine residue
• discuss at OTSGMB annual meeting
• communicate to transplant growers through
OTSGMB newsletter
• identify lab(s) that can perform this service to
OTSGMB members
Processors
• Recommend processors test seed lots for
bacterial disease
• individual processors will test
• one processor rep will ensure protocols in place
with lab(s) and let other processors know the
procedure
• processors will share information
Transplant Production
Transplant Production
- OTSGMB
• Recommend fixed copper bactericide
starting 2 1/2 weeks after seeding, then at 5day intervals
• apply to wet the foliage but not to excessive
runoff
• if possible, last application should be 1 day
prior to shipping
Transplant Production
- Researchers/OPVG/OFPA/OTRI
• Research project to develop a transplant
screening protocol
Transplant Production
- OMAF Extension
• Educate field growers about the importance
of the greenhouse copper program,
discussing it with their transplant suppliers
Field Production
Field Production
- OMAF Extension
• Recommend field growers apply a copper
bactericide within 7 days after transplanting
• apply at least 3 applications at 7-day intervals
• Educate growers, industry
• When disease appears, make observations,
share information
Field Production Researchers/OPVG/OFPA/OTRI
• Research field copper applications to
determine effectiveness (yield, quality,
bacterial populations), end point
• Research on overwintering of the bacterial
spot Group D pathogen
• Continue screening alternatives for bacterial
disease control, including SAR products,
growth regulators, conventional chemistries,
biological controls, improving seed
treatments
Other Activities
• Meeting programs include lots of bacterial
disease information
• Discussion groups held with research,
extension, processor staff, crop consultants,
agribusiness, chemical company reps
• Newsletter articles and updates about
bacterial disease management
• Tomato bacterial disease factsheet should be
out this spring - in-depth look at current
knowledge in biology and management
Other Activities
• Ridgetown College/OMAF staff visited
many transplant producers in the spring of
2004 to test the concentration of copper in
their spray solution and the amount of
copper being deposited on the leaves
• Also checked leaves in field for copper
residue
• Feedback given immediately so grower
could correct any problems
Other Activities
• Convincing chemical companies to fund
research to screen products for bacterial
activity
What has changed? What have we learned?
• All transplant growers trying to follow the
new recommendations - not perfect, but
improved
• Many field growers following the “early
and often” copper recommendations - BIG
CHANGE!
• More growers mixing mancozeb with early
copper sprays to get boost in activity
What has changed? What have we learned?
• OPVG/OFPA/OTRI increased funding to
“Ecological/Epidemiological Studies of the
Highly Virulant Group C and D Forms of
the Bacterial Spot Pathogen” (Cuppels,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and
“Pest Management Studies in Processing
Tomatoes” (Pitblado, Ridgetown College)
• Research has shown that X. c. pv. v. Group
B, C, and D strains overwinter under
Ontario conditions (Cuppels, AAFC)
What has changed? What have we learned?
• Progress towards a procedure for detecting
and quantifying bacterial spot populations
on transplant seedlings in the greenhouse
(Cuppels, AAFC)
• Groups A, B, C, and D strains continue to
be studied: presence and persistence on plug
plants, greenhouse equipment, etc.; survival
on weeds; aggressiveness on tomato,
pepper; susceptibility to Kocide + Bravo;
ability to cause lesions on fruit (Cuppels,
AAFC)
What has changed? What have we learned?
• A number of potential bacterial disease
control products tested, including various
copper formulations (and range of spray
solution pH), Agriphage, Chitosan Plus,
ionized water, Tanos, combinations of
Actigard, Bonzi, Sumagic, Apogee,
Ammonium sulphate, Heads-up, Tilt
(Pitblado, Ridgetown College)
What has changed? What have we learned?
• Pest Diagnostic Lab (University of Guelph)
began to work closely with Dr. Cuppels to
implement a commercial PCR diagnostic
service for tomato bacterial diseases. Lab
has been testing procedure on seeds,
transplants, field plants. Protocol is
evolving as the lab learns the PCR process
and as Dr. Cuppels lab develops improved
procedures.
Results
36
.2
36
.4
2002
2003
31
.6
37
.0
30.0
28
.4
1996
32
.0
1995
33
.3
31
.2
Tons/ac
40.0
35.0
31
.0
45.0
39
.6
Ontario Processing Tomato Average Yields
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Tons/ac
• Record Ontario yield in 2004!!
• But I can’t take credit for that.
2004
Results
• High level of awareness of bacterial disease
impacts, management practices
• Industry did not become complacent after a
successful 2004 season without major
outbreaks
• The industry saw the benefits of the
improved management practices in 2004
• We can probably avert some outbreaks, but
some may not be preventable with current
technology
IPM Training for Tomato and
Pepper Industry
Janice LeBoeuf
OMAF Vegetable Crop Specialist
Ridgetown, ON
IPM Training Objectives
• Understand the pests and their impacts
• Identify the pests
• Understand and identify other factors that
impact crop health
• Up-to-date on new products/ techniques and
the latest applied research
• Aware of the strengths/limitations of
products/techniques
• Know where/who to turn to for answers
Variety of Methods
• 1-day tomato and pepper IPM training
• 1-day introduction to IPM training can be
taken ahead of time
• IPM training sessions co-ordinated by our
IPM Systems Specialist Margaret Appleby
• “Summer student” crop scouts, agribusiness
and private crop advisors, growers and farm
staff, research technicians, processor staff
Variety of Methods
• In-field IPM training
• Offer in a couple of locations each season
• Meet at a farm, discuss what we see, have
seen through the season
• Out of field - may look at samples of
problems, too
• Informal
Variety of Methods
• Tomato and pepper discussion groups
• Informal format
• Topic chosen and special guest experts
invited
• Weed management, insect and disease
management, transplant production…
• “Pick the brains” of the guest experts and
each other
Variety of Methods
• Discussion groups, cont’d.
• Research, extension, processor staff, agribusiness
and private crop advisors, chemical company
representatives, tomato breeders
• Haven’t invited growers - allows more open
discussion
• Participants learn from the experts and each other.
Experts learn a lot from the participants, too!
• In-season conference calls - lot of interest, but not
a lot of participation - busy time
Variety of Methods
• Processing Crop Updates - initiated by Elaine
Roddy a few years ago
• Mine is on tomatoes and peppers
• Sent out by e-mail (and a few faxes)
• Covers all kinds of topics - pest ID, pest alerts,
herbicide injury symptoms, new products, coming
events, pest counts, weather summaries (OWN),
nutrient management, pest control information,
disorders, new publications, …
• approx. 70 on e-mail/fax list, 145 subscribe from
OMAF web-site
Variety of Methods
• IPM Technical Update Meeting for Consultants
(Margaret Appleby)
• OMAF Publications - Vegetable Production
Recommendations (Elaine Roddy, Editor)
• HortMatters Newsletter (Hannah Fraser, Donna
Speranzini, Editors) - agribusiness, consultants
• Veg Viewpoint Newsletter (Elaine Roddy, Editor)
- growers
• OMAF Web-site - Vegetable index page at
http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/hort/vegetable.html