Field scale application of Brassica seed meal and anaerobic soil disinfestation for the control of apple replant disease

An orchard field trial was conducted to assess the utility of reduced rate Brassicaceae seed meal (SM) amendment in concert with specific rootstock genotypes for effective control of apple replant disease. Three amendment rates of a 1:1 formulation of Brassica juncea-Sinapis alba SM were compared with preplant 1,3-dichloropropene/chloropicrin soil fumigation for disease control efficacy. When applied at the highest rate (6.6 t ha−1) in the spring of planting, SM caused significant phytotoxicity and tree mortality, which was higher for Gala/M.26 than for Gala/G.41 but was not observed at SM application rates of 2.2 or 4.4 t ha−1. SM treatment resulted in growth and yield increases of Gala/M.26 and Gala/G.41 trees in a manner similar to the fumigation treatment and significantly greater than the no treatment control. Tree growth in soils treated with SM at 4.4 t ha−1 was similar or superior to that obtained with SM at 6.6 t ha−1 and superior to that attained at an SM application rate of 2.2 t ha−1. Soil fumigation and all SM treatments reduced Pratylenchus penetrans root infestation relative to the control treatment at the end of the initial growing season. Lesion nematode root densities in the fumigation treatment, but not SM treatments, rapidly recovered and were indistinguishable from the control at the end of the second growing season. Soil fumigation and all SM treatments significantly suppressed Pythium spp. root infection relative to the control. Trees grafted to rootstock G.41 possessed lower P. penetrans root densities relative to trees grafted to rootstock M.26. One year after planting, composition of microbial communities from SM-amended soils was distinct from those detected in control and fumigated soils, and the differences were amplified with increasing SM application rate. Specific fungal and bacterial phyla associated with suppression of plant pathogens were more abundant in SM-treated soil relative to the control, and they were similar in abundance in 4.4- and 6.6-t ha−1 SM treatments. Findings from this study demonstrated that use of the appropriate apple rootstock genotype will allow for effective replant disease control at SM application rates significantly less than that utilized previously (6.6 t ha−1).

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Influence of rootstock genotype on efficacy of anaerobic soil disinfestation for control of apple nursery replant disease

European Journal of Plant Pathology ◽

10.1007/s10658-020-01977-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 157 (1) ◽

pp. 39-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shashika S. Hewavitharana ◽

Mark Mazzola

Keyword(s):

Soil Disinfestation ◽

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation ◽

Replant Disease

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Comparative Analysis of the Apple Root Transcriptome as Affected by Rootstock Genotype and Brassicaceae Seed Meal Soil Amendment: Implications for Plant Health

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9040763 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 763

Author(s):

Likun Wang ◽

Tracey S. Somera ◽

Heidi Hargarten ◽

Loren Honaas ◽

Mark Mazzola

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Plant Health ◽

Metagenomic Data ◽

Seed Meal ◽

Apple Replant Disease ◽

Root Transcriptome ◽

Rhizosphere Microbiome ◽

Replant Disease ◽

Amended Soil

Brassicaceae seed meal (SM) soil amendment has been utilized as an effective strategy to control the biological complex of organisms, which includes oomycetes, fungi, and parasitic nematodes, that incites the phenomenon termed apple replant disease. Soil-borne disease control attained in response to Brassicaceae SM amendment is reliant on multiple chemical and biological attributes, including specific SM-generated modifications to the soil/rhizosphere microbiome. In this study, we conducted a comparative analyses of apple root gene expression as influenced by rootstock genotype combined with a seed meal (SM) soil amendment. Apple replant disease (ARD) susceptible (M.26) and tolerant (G.210) rootstocks cultivated in SM-amended soil exhibited differential gene expression relative to corresponding non-treated control (NTC) orchard soil. The temporal dynamics of gene expression indicated that the SM-amended soil system altered the trajectory of the root transcriptome in a genotype-specific manner. In both genotypes, the expression of genes related to plant defense and hormone signaling were altered in SM-amended soil, suggesting SM-responsive phytohormone regulation. Altered gene expression was temporally associated with changes in rhizosphere microbiome density and composition in the SM-treated soil. Gene expression analysis across the two rootstocks cultivated in the pathogen-infested NTC soil showed genotype-specific responses indicative of different defensive strategies. These results are consistent with previously described resistance mechanisms of ARD “tolerant” rootstock cultivars and also add to our understanding of the multiple mechanisms by which SM soil amendment and the resulting rhizosphere microbiome affect apple rootstock physiology. Future studies which assess transcriptomic and metagenomic data in parallel will be important for illuminating important connections between specific rhizosphere microbiota, gene-regulation, and plant health.

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Anaerobic soil disinfestation as an alternative to soil fumigation for management of Prunus replant disease: effects on tree growth and yield

Acta Horticulturae ◽

10.17660/actahortic.2018.1219.44 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 287-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G.T. Browne ◽

N.J. Ott ◽

A.T. Poret-Peterson ◽

B. Lampinen ◽

S.G. Metcalf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Soil Fumigation ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Soil Disinfestation ◽

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation ◽

Replant Disease

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Interaction of Brassicaceae Seed Meal Soil Amendment and Apple Rootstock Genotype on Microbiome Structure and Replant Disease Suppression

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-07-18-0230-r ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 109 (4) ◽

pp. 607-614 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Likun Wang ◽

Mark Mazzola

Keyword(s):

Disease Suppression ◽

Seed Meal ◽

Effective Control ◽

Tree Biomass ◽

Apple Rootstock ◽

Apple Replant Disease ◽

Rhizosphere Microbiome ◽

Replant Disease ◽

Application Rates ◽

Orchard Soil

Preplant soil application of a Brassica juncea–Sinapis alba seed meal formulation (SM) at a rate of 6.6 t ha−1 alters composition of the orchard soil microbiome in a manner that yields sustainable long-term suppression of soilborne pathogens in apple production systems. However, the cost of SM amendment has hindered the adoption of this tactic to manage apple replant disease in commercial orchards. Greenhouse trials were conducted to assess the effect of reduced SM application rates in concert with apple rootstock genotype on structure of the rhizosphere microbiome and associated disease control outcomes. At all application rates assessed, SM treatment increased tree growth and reduced disease development relative to the control. In general, total tree biomass and leader shoot length were similar in soils treated with SM at 4.4 or 6.6 t ha−1 regardless of rootstock genotype. Equivalent increase in tree biomass when cultivated in soil treated at the lowest and highest SM amendment rate was attained when used in conjunction with G.41 or G.210 apple rootstocks. Suppression of Pythium spp. or Pratylenchus penetrans root densities was similar at all SM application rates. When cultivated in nontreated replant orchard soil, Geneva rootstocks (G.41 and G.210) exhibited lower levels of Pythium spp. and P. penetrans root colonization relative to Malling rootstocks (M.9 and MM.106). For a given rootstock, structure of the rhizosphere microbiome was similar in soils treated with SM at 4.4 and 6.6 t ha−1. G.41 and G.210 rootstocks but not M.9 or MM.106 cultivated in soil treated with SM at 2.2 t ha−1 possessed a rhizosphere bacterial community structure that differed significantly from the control. Findings indicate that effective control of apple replant disease may be attained at lower SM amendment rates than employed previously, with lower effective rates possible when integrated with tolerant rootstock genotypes such as G.41 or G.210.

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Suppression of Specific Apple Root Pathogens by Brassica napus Seed Meal Amendment Regardless of Glucosinolate Content

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto.2001.91.7.673 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 91 (7) ◽

pp. 673-679 ◽

Cited By ~ 129

Author(s):

Mark Mazzola ◽

David M. Granatstein ◽

Donald C. Elfving ◽

Kent Mullinix

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Seed Meal ◽

Glucosinolate Content ◽

Pratylenchus Penetrans ◽

Root Infection ◽

Apple Replant Disease ◽

Fluorescent Pseudomonas ◽

Replant Disease ◽

Microbial Complex ◽

The Impact

The impact of Brassica napus seed meal on the microbial complex that incites apple replant disease was evaluated in greenhouse trials. Regardless of glucosinolate content, seed meal amendment at a rate of 0.1% (vol/vol) significantly enhanced growth of apple and suppressed apple root infection by Rhizoctonia spp. and Pratylenchus penetrans. High glucosinolate B. napus cv. Dwarf Essex seed meal amendments did not consistently suppress soil populations of Pythium spp. or apple root infection by this pathogen. Application of a low glucosinolate containing B. napus seed meal at a rate of 1.0% (vol/vol) resulted in a significant increase in recovery of Pythium spp. from apple roots, and a corresponding reduction in apple seedling root biomass. When applied at lower rates, B. napus seed meal amendments enhanced populations of fluorescent Pseudomonas spp., but these bacteria were not recovered from soils amended with seed meal at a rate of 2% (vol/vol). Seed meal amendments resulted in increased soil populations of total bacteria and actinomycetes. B. napus cv. Dwarf Essex seed meal amendments were phytotoxic to apple when applied at a rate of 2% (vol/vol), and phytotoxicity was not diminished when planting was delayed for as long as 12 weeks after application. These findings suggest that B. napus seed meal amendments can be a useful tool in the management of apple replant disease and, in the case of Rhizoctonia spp., that disease control operates through mechanisms other than production of glucosinolate hydrolysis products.

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Comparative Field Efficacy of Management Strategies Containing Brassica napus Seed Meal or Green Manure for the Control of Apple Replant Disease

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pd-89-1207 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 89 (11) ◽

pp. 1207-1213 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Mark Mazzola ◽

Kent Mullinix

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Green Manure ◽

Growth Response ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Soil Fumigation ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Seed Meal ◽

Apple Replant Disease ◽

Replant Disease

Alternative management strategies to the use of preplant soil fumigation for the control of apple replant disease (ARD), including cover crops and strategies incorporating Brassica napus seed meal (rape seed meal [RSM]) amendment as the central component, were evaluated in the orchard. A 1-year wheat cover crop consisting of three short-term cropping periods with plant material removed at the end of each growth period and a 3-year B. napus green manure significantly enhanced vegetative growth and yield of Gala/M26. However, in each instance, the resulting disease control and growth response were inferior to that achieved through preplant methyl bromide soil fumigation. A 3-year bare fallow and 1- or 2-year B. napus green manure neither suppressed disease development nor enhanced tree growth. Preplant RSM amendment in conjunction with a postplant mefenoxam soil drench provided effective suppression of ARD, and the resulting tree growth and yield were comparable with that attained in response to 1,3- dichloropropene-chloropicrin fumigation in one orchard. At a second orchard, the growth response attained with the alternative treatment was inferior to preplant soil fumigation, which was associated with an apparent re-infestation of RSM-treated soils and tree roots by Pratylenchus spp. Application of RSM after wheat cropping or in conjunction with soil solarization provided an intermediate level of disease control and a corresponding reduction in growth and yield of apple relative to preplant fumigation at both sites.

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