EPIPHYTOTIC OF FUSARIUM CROWN AND ROOT ROT ON TOMATO CAUSED BY Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. radicis – lycopersici Jarvis & Shoemaker in Rabbia

Field survey conducted during 2005 and 2006 at Al jazeera project (Rabbia), showed the prevalence of tomato Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR), which is characterized by a chocolate brown internal discoloration of the roots after 5 week of transplanting . Wilting symptoms developed after 8th week (fruiting stage), under highly temperature conditions in July contradictory as known that the cold weather was favorable to the pathogen .The rate of infection (r) was developed according to plant growth progress, most plants were collapsed throughout 8-12 week , since the pathogen colonized the epidermis and root cortex tissues. The (r) values were actually decreased during the harvesting stage after 12-16 week of transplanting .