Rationale

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is one of the most economically important vegetable

crops in the world. In Indonesia and the Philippines, it is an ingredient in many dishes and is a
good source of vitamins and other nutrients. Tomato ranks second only to eggplant in production
area in the Philippines. Tomato production is dominated by small-scale farmers who favor this
crop for its relatively high cash value which contributes significantly to their income.

Objectives
General Objective
The study aims to prove that the treatments applied will be effective on
tomatos Powdery Mildew.
Specific Objectives
To achieve the general objective, the following must be achieved:
Research:
o To determine the factors that affects Powdery Mildew.
o To determine specific treatments available for Powdery Mildew.
o To be able to produce the necessary reports needed.

Methodology
Experimental Site
The study was conducted at San Antonio, Pili, Camarines Sur from August 2014 to October 2014
wherein the tomato is planted.

Preparation of Test Plant

Twenty five sets of Tomato seeds were used for upland experiment. They were planted
individually in a plot measuring 3x5 meters.

Experimental Design and Treatments

The complete randomized design was used to test the efficacy of the different treatment
prior to control the Powdery Mildew in Tomato. The study consisted of five treatments and
replicated five times.

What is Powdery Mildew?

Powdery mildew refers to a group of diseases that all show up as a powdery white
coating on leaves, stems and sometimes even flowers. It does not usually kill plants, but it can
weaken them and diminish photosynthesis, leading to poor yield and plants that don't last the
season.
It is spread by spores that are carried by the wind or splashed onto leaves. Powdery
mildew favors humid, rather than wet conditions. The spores form when the humidity is high and
disperse when the humidity diminishes. Spores can over-winter on plants or plant debris and start
the process all over again. Garden sanitation and planting disease resistant varieties are your pest
powdery mildew controls.
There are several species of powdery mildew fungus and they each have their preferred
hosts. Powdery mildew on zinnias will not move to lilacs or cucumbers.
Baking soda Spray
Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which has antifungal properties that can help
naturally control early tomato blight, powdery mildew and anthracnose. Baking-soda spray
consists of 1 tablespoon of baking soda mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once you
have thoroughly mixed the baking soda with the oil, add 1 gallon of water and 1/2 teaspoon of
castile soap. For easier application, transfer the baking-soda mixture to a pump sprayer and
thoroughly apply the spray to the tomato plants, ensuring the mixture covers both the upper and
lower leaves as well as the soil. Multiple applications every 5 to 7 days may be needed in order
to control the fungal disease. The baking-soda spray can be used as a preventive measure or to
control the fungus at the first signs of infection.
Oils
To eradicate mild to moderate powdery mildew infections, use a horticultural oil such as
Saf-T-Side Spray Oil, Sunspray Ultra-Fine Spray Oil, or one of the plant-based oils such as neem
oil or jojoba oil (e.g., E-rase). Be careful, however, to never apply an oil spray within 2 weeks of
a sulfur spray or plants may be injured. Also, oils should never be applied when temperatures
are above 90F or to drought-stressed plants. Some plants may be more sensitive than others,
however, and the interval required between sulfur and oil sprays may be even longer; always
consult the fungicide label for any special precautions.
Using Milk as a Fungicide
Milk has become the latest secret weapon in fighting powdery mildew. Actually it's not
so secret and it's been used in treating diseases for decades. It's been tried as an additive to
improve the spreading and sticking of other pesticides and Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott cites many
studies where milk was tested against the transmission of tobacco mosaic and other viruses. - to
mixed reviews.
Most recently, milk has been getting a lot of good press as an anti-fungal spray and
specifically against powdery mildew on cucumbers and squash.

How does Milk Work as a Fungicide?

For the past several years, researchers have been experimenting with spraying a diluted
solution of regular milk on a variety of plants, mostly cucurbits (squash and cucumbers). They
have been seeing enough success to continue experimenting. Home gardeners are now getting in
on the research, but very often a control group is missing, so their results are not definitive.
The dilution used by home gardeners is 1 part milk to 2 - 3 parts water. The solution is
then sprayed on the plant's leaves every 10-14 days. It works best as a preventative, rather than a
cure, which makes it hard to determine whether it actually works since you don't know if your
plants would have gotten it anyway.
As to exactly how milk works against the fungus, no one is certain. It appears that the
proteins in milk offer an antiseptic-like effect, when exposed to sunlight. To be effective, the
solution should be applied in bright sun. Soak both sides of the leaves until the solution is
dripping.
If you've ever left milk out in heat or direct sun, you know that the odor of spoiled milk is
not pleasant, but it does dissipate somewhat quickly. The protein is in the milk fat, and both
whole and skim milk have been tried by home gardeners. In fact, researchers used whey, a milk
by-product, because it was cheaper. You can try your own experiments with whatever you have
on hand. To really test it, spray the solution on only some plants and leave others untreated.
Author and horticulture professor Dr. Jeff Gillman has also recommended using the milk solution for

black spot on roses. There hasn't been a lot of institutional research on this, but home remedies
are not profitable and often get short shrift. Interestingly, Dr. Gillman also recommends simply
spraying plants prone to mildew with water. Since powdery mildew doesn't like getting wet,
spraying the plants daily seems to help thwart it.
Garlic
Garlic extracts, which can be made by blending two bulbs (not cloves!) of fresh garlic in
a quart of water with a few drops of liquid soap. The liquid should be strained through
cheesecloth to remove solids and then refrigerated. That concentrate should be diluted 1:10 with
water before spraying. That provides a concentration of 25-50 parts per million of the active
compound allicin, which will help prevent germination of powdery mildew spores. Once the
spores are active, though, a concentration of 300 to 500 ppm is needed to cure powdery mildew.
Vinegar
Similar to mouthwash, the acetic acid of vinegar can control powdery mildew. A mixture
of 2-3 tablespoons of common apple cider vinegar, containing 5% acetic acid mixed with a
gallon of water does job. However, too much vinegar can burn plants but at the same time,
higher concentrations (above 5%) are more effective.

How to treat infected plants. Begin applications at the first sign of mildew. Horticultural oils
or neem oil have helped reduce and sometimes eradicate powdery mildew on plants. Do not
apply oils during a drought, when temperatures are above 90 F, or within two weeks of treating
plants with a sulphur product.
In all cases, thoroughly cover plant with treatments. Repeat every 7-10 days or after rain.
Once mildew is present and progresses, it becomes more resistant to bio fungicide and
fungicide. Tomato Dirt best advice: treat preventatively or, if powdery mildew appears, treat as
consistently as possible.

Result and Discussion