Efficacy of Four Herbicides Against Broomrape, Orobanche spp. in Egypt and Their Effects on the Yield and Quality of Tomato Fruits

Abstract

Broomrape, Orobanche spp. ranks among the most harmful root parasitic weeds affecting numerous crop varieties. Tomato is a susceptible crop to broomrape attack, which threatens tomato growers and leads to significant yield reduction. This research examined the effectiveness of three sulfonylureas in field trials: sulfosulfuron, halosulfuron, and rimsulfuron, along with glyphosate, for controlling broomrape in tomato. The results obtained showed that sulfosulfuron was the top-performing treatment, achieving the highest control efficacy (84.82% and 77.86%), at both tested rates of 35.7 and 17.85 g a.i. h^-1, respectively. This was followed by halosulfuron (75.12%), glyphosate at 73.5 g a.i. ha⁻¹ (70.15%), and rimsulfuron (68.90%). The least control efficiency (59.70%) was observed with glyphosate at the lower application rate of 36.75 g a.i. ha-¹. Sulfosulfuron applied at 35.7 g a.i. h^-1 significantly delayed broomrape spike emergence by up to 102.33 days, and at the same time decreased spike density and dry weight more than other treatments. All herbicides showed no harmful effect on tomato plants, but glyphosate at the highest rate caused noticeable damage, such as leaf necrosis and stunted growth, which impacted fruit production. Sulfosulfuron applications at the higher rate substantially improved tomato yield by as much as 49.62%, compared to the untreated check. The assessment of fruit quality attributes showed no significant differences in vitamin C, lycopene, and total soluble solids content among treatments. These results indicated that sulfosulfuron may be included in broomrape control strategies in tomato, leading to increased yields without any apparent adverse impact on fruit quality.

Keywords:

Broomrape, tomato, sulfonylureas, efficacy, fruit yield.