North Florida Research and Education Center

155 Research Road

Quincy, FL 32351-5677

Phone: (850) 875-7154

Fax: (850) 875-7188

Email: TMomol@ufl.edu

Current Projects

Tim Momol

Extension Specialist, Disease Management

Associate Professor Plant Pathology

Management of Diseases of Horticultural Crops in Northern Florida
Bacterial diseases of vegetables and woody ornamentals are serious problems in northern Florida. The goal of this project is to develop disease management strategies that will protect vegetables and woody ornamentals from diseases.

Integrated Management of Bacterial Spot and Bacterial Wilt on Tomato
Tomato is the most important vegetable crop in the southern U.S with a farm gate value of $781 million in which $625 million of it is for Florida.  Currently most tomato growers in the southern U.S. are facing important changes due to complete methyl bromide phase-out in 2005 and FQPA.  In Florida, losses resulting from bacterial spot and wilt epidemic for fresh market tomatoes were substantial. Based on a needs assessment survey for tomato IPM carried out by multidisciplinary IPM teams from seven states in the southeastern U.S., bacterial spot of tomato was identified as a major problem by more than 66.7 % of the respondents from Florida and South Carolina. Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, can be ranked as one of the most important diseases of plants caused by phytopathogenic bacteria in the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate zones of the world.  This research project will use several strategies to develop integrated management of the bacterial leaf spot and wilt of field grown fresh market tomatoes in the southeastern US. 

Management of Tomato Spotted Wilt Tospovirus (TSWV) on Tomatoes with UV-Reflective Mulch and Acibenzolar-S-methyl Tomato spotted wilt virus vectored by western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) is the key disease of tomato in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Insecticides applied on a calendar schedule for thrips vector control are not effective in preventing disease. The insecticides are costly, toxic to farm workers, and disruptive to integrated pest management programs. We determined the separate and combined effects of a reduced-risk insecticide (spinosad), a systemic acquired resistance inducer (Actigard), and UV-reflective metalized mulch on management of tomato spotted wilt virus. The metalized mulch was most effective in reducing disease incidence. Actigard reduced incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus on the standard black mulch but not on metallized mulch. Spinosad was as effective as methamidophos in reducing the spread of the disease during mid- and late-season. The regimen of metalized mulch, Actigard, and insecticides reduced tomato spotted wilt virus by as much as 76%.

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