The use of organic materials that improve physical, chemical and biological soil properties has been studied as inducer of suppressiveness to plant pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating legume shoot in the control of Fusarium wilt affecting tomatoes. Fresh residues of the legumes Leucaena, pigeon pea, peanut and jack bean were added to the soil at the concentrations of 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 g L-1. Seeds from tomato plants of Santa Cruz Kada Gigante variety were sown on trays containing autoclaved soil and earthworm castings. The seedlings were transplanted to pots containing substrate (autoclaved soil + fresh residue) at 15 days after sowing. At 15 days after transplanting, inoculation was done by means of half-moon-shaped injury in the roots, followed by application of 20 mL of a suspension of 1x10(6) conidia mL-1 plant. The evaluation was carried out at 21 days after inoculation by using a visual grading scale from 1 to 5. Experimental design was completely randomized, with four replicates, and the experimental unit was constituted of two plants per pot. Incorporation of shoot of the legumes Leucaena, pigeon pea, peanut and jack bean was efficient in controlling Fusarium wilt. The highest control percentage was obtained with residues of peanut (40 g L-1), jack bean (60 g L-1) and Leucaena (80 g L-1), resulting in a control percentage of 73.3%. The peanut can be considered most efficient because it requires a lower concentration to reach the same percentage of Fusarium wilt control.
green manure; alternative control; Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici
