Tomatoes encounter many pathogens, such as fungi and bacteria, which reduce the yield and quality of plants and lead to large losses in production. The application of plant protection products (PPPs) is still an important and most effective measure to control plant diseases. However, the use of chemicals in agriculture contributes to environmental pollution and biodiversity loss, and it can also threaten non-target living organisms. Biological control is a widely accessible, environmentally safe, and cost-efficient alternative for the prevention and suppression of plant diseases. Bacillus species with antimicrobial and plant growth-promoting effects are most frequently used as biocontrol agents to increase the resilience of agricultural production against biotic stresses. The present review discusses the antagonistic mechanisms and the biocontrol potential of Bacillus spp. against tomato diseases caused by different pathogens. The main mechanisms of Bacillus spp. include the production of antimicrobial compounds (antibiotics, extracellular enzymes, siderophores, and volatile compounds), competition for nutrients and space, and induced systemic resistance (ISR). Although Bacillus-based PPPs have been developed and commercialised worldwide for various crops and pathogens, the efficiency issues are still subject to debate. Additionally, a combined strategy for controlling tomato diseases based on Bacillus spp. and other available methods (conventional or natural-based) is a promising research field.

Bio-priming is a new technique of seed treatment that improves seed germination, vigor, crop growth and yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Bradyrhizobium japonicum (commercial strains) and Bacillus megaterium (newly isolated strains) as a single inoculant and co-inoculant during seed bio-priming to improve seed germination and initial seedling growth of two soybean cultivars. The treated seeds were subjected to germination test (GT), cold test (CT) and accelerated aging test (AAT). B. megaterium significantly improved all parameters in GT and CT; final germination, shoot length, root length, root dry weight, and seedling vigor index in AAT, as compared to control. In addition, co-inoculation significantly increased all parameters except shoot dry weight in GT; all parameters in CT; germination energy, shoot length, root length, and seedling vigor index in AAT, in comparison to the control. Moreover, Br. japonicum significantly improved the germination energy, shoot length, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and seedling vigor index in GT; all parameters in CT; shoot length, root length, and seedling vigor index in AAT, compared with non-primed seeds. Thus, B. megaterium strains could be used in soybean bio-priming as a potential single inoculant and co-inoculant, following proper field evaluation.

Tomatoes are parasitized by a number of pathogens, including Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, causal agent of fusarium wilt. Fresh vegetable fruits can be contaminated with various fungi that produce mycotoxins, which is an important issue for human health. The objective of this paper was to isolate, determine, and identify causal organisms of tomato wilt and fruit rot, based on the pathogens morphological and molecular characteristics. Samples of diseased plants showing symptoms of tomato wilt were collected from different localities in the production region of Vojvodina. Fruits with symptoms of fusarium rot were collected from storage and warehouses. The isolation and morphological determination of the fungus were performed on PDA and Czapek?s nutrient media. Isolates from diseased plants growing in field, designated as TFW1-TFW12 and seven isolates from diseased tomato fruits (TFM1-TFM7) were chosen for further investigation. For identification of the fungal isolates, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also used. The EF1/EF2 primer pair was used for molecular identification of Fusarium sp. Nine analyzed samples were found to contain DNA fragments 700 bp in size.

Seed germination is first critical and the most sensitive stage in the life cycle of plants compromise the seedlings establishment. Salt and drought tolerance testing in initial stages of plant development is of vital importance, because the seed with more rapid germination under salt or water deficit conditions may be expected to achieve a rapid seedling establishment, resulting in higher yields. The aim of this study was to determine whether the pea seed germination and seedling growth were inhibited by the salt toxicity and osmotic effect during the seedling development, and also identification of the sensitive seedling growth parameters in response to those stresses. Based on the obtained results, pea has been presented to be more tolerant to salt than water stress during germination and early embryo growth. Investigated cultivars showed greater susceptibility to both abiotic stresses when it comes growth parameters compared to seed germination.

Heat stress seriously affects the production of cool-season food legume crops such as garden peas. Seed priming is a widely used technique that increases germination and improves plant growth and development, resulting in better field performance and higher yield of crops. In the current study, we investigated three seed priming treatments—hydropriming (dH₂O), osmopriming (2.2% w/v CaCl₂), and hormopriming (50 mg L⁻¹ salicylic acid—SA)—and their effect on germination, initial seedling development, and physiological traits of two novel garden pea cultivars, under optimal conditions and heat stress. Seed priming with H₂O, CaCl_2, and SA enhanced garden pea performance under both optimal and stress conditions via significant improvements in germination energy, final germination, mean germination time, mean germination rate, seedling vigor index, shoot length, root length, fresh seedling weight, dry seedling weight, shoot elongation rate, root elongation rate, relative water content, chlorophyll content, and membrane stability index, as compared to control. The highest effect on the examined parameters was achieved by osmopriming and hormopriming in both cultivars, suggesting that these treatments could be used to improve the heat stress tolerance of garden pea, after extensive field trials.