Nitrogen fertilization impacts biocontrol of tomato gray mold

Gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea, is a common threat for greenhouse production of tomatoes. Control of this disease can be difficult even with chemical treatments, and alternative methods are needed. Nitrogen (N) fertilization is known to modify the impact of pathogens on plants. However, there is scarce knowledge about the effect of fertilization on the efficacy of biocontrol. Here, we studied the effect of N fertilization on biocontrol agents Trichoderma atroviride and Microdochium dimerum that protect tomato against B. cinerea. Plants were grown for 2 months in a greenhouse with a soil-less drip irrigation system. Differential N fertilization (five concentrations of nitrate) was applied for the last 4 weeks prior to leaf pruning, biocontrol agent application, and B. cinerea inoculation. Results show that increasing N fertilization up to 10 mmol/L reduced disease by half for controls. High N fertilization also increased biocontrol, with a protection index rising from nearly 0 to up to 100 % depending on the biocontrol agent and the pressure of the pathogen. Indeed, high N fertilization delayed stem symptoms and slowed lesion expansion. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an effect of N fertilization on the efficacy of biocontrol against an airborne disease. Therefore, adapting N fertilization is a promising technique to protect greenhouse tomato.