scholarly journals Effects of Soil Solarization and Trichoderma asperellum on Soilborne Inoculum of Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora pini in Container Nurseries

Plant Disease ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 438-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Funahashi ◽  
J. L. Parke

Infested container nursery beds are an important source of soilborne Phytophthora spp. for initiating disease through movement with surface water or splashing onto foliage. We investigated the effects of soil solarization, alone or with subsequent amendment with a Trichoderma asperellum biocontrol agent, on the survival of Phytophthora spp. inoculum. In field trials conducted with Phytophthora ramorum in San Rafael, CA and with P. pini in Corvallis, OR, infested rhododendron leaf inoculum was buried at 5, 15, and 30 cm below the soil surface. Solarization for 2 or 4 weeks during summer 2012 eliminated recovery of Phytophthora spp. buried at all depths in California trial 1, at 5 and 15 cm in California trial 2, but only at 5 cm in Oregon. There was no significant reduction of Phytophthora spp. recovery after T. asperellum application. Although the population densities of the introduced T. asperellum at the 5-cm depth were often two- to fourfold higher in solarized compared with nonsolarized plots, they were not significantly different (P = 0.052). Soil solarization appears to be a promising technique for disinfesting the upper layer of soil in container nurseries under certain conditions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 158-167
Author(s):  
Fumiaki Funahashi ◽  
Jennifer L. Parke

Abstract To describe the effect of soil solarization in the presence of a gravel layer on the soil surface of container nurseries, we investigated belowground temperatures and soil water potential during solarization with different thicknesses of a surface gravel layer (2.5 cm, 7.5 cm, or no gravel) (1 in, 3 in, or no gravel) in relation to survival of soilborne Phytophthora spp. inoculum. In field trials conducted for 4 weeks with Phytophthora ramorum Werres and Phytophthora pini Leonian in San Rafael, California and with P. pini in Corvallis, Oregon, infested rhododendron leaf inoculum was placed on the surface, and at 5 cm (2 in) and 15 cm (6 in) below the surface. In solarized plots with thicker layers of gravel, inoculum buried in the soil layer was killed in shorter treatment periods by higher elevated temperatures. Inoculum at the surface and within the gravel layer was also killed, but showed greater tolerance to heat under the lower water potential conditions as compared to the soil layer. P. pini has a significantly longer survival in heat than P. ramorum, allowing it to serve as a conservative surrogate for P. ramorum in testing solarization outside the quarantine facility. This study demonstrates how presence of a gravel layer influences soil solarization effectiveness in reducing Phytophthora inoculum survival. Index words: Phytophthora ramorum, Phytophthora pini, soil disinfestation, disease management, soil temperature, soil water potential, ornamentals. Species used in this study: Phytophthora ramorum Werres, de Cock & Man in't Veld, Phytophthora pini Leonian.


Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (8) ◽  
pp. 1991-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxue Ji ◽  
Jingjing Li ◽  
Zhen Meng ◽  
Shouan Zhang ◽  
Bei Dong ◽  
...  

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea can be a severe disease of tomato infecting leaves and fruits of tomato plants. Chemical control is currently the most effective and reliable method; however, application of fungicides has many drawbacks. The combination of biological control agents with newly developed fungicides may be a practicable method to control B. cinerea. Fluopimomide is a newly developed fungicide with a novel mode of action. Bacillus methylotrophicus TA-1, isolated from rhizosphere soil of tomato, is a bacterial strain with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. Little information is currently available about the effect of fluopimomide and its integrated effect on B. cinerea. Therefore, laboratory, pot, and field experiments were carried out to determine the effects of fluopimomide alone and in combination with B. methylotrophicus TA-1 against gray mold on tomato. The in vitro growth of B. methylotrophicus TA-1 was unaffected by 100 mg liter−1 fluopimomide. Inhibition of B. cinerea mycelial growth was significantly increased under combined treatment of fluopimomide and B. methylotrophicus TA-1. In greenhouse experiments, efficacy against gray mold was significantly greater by an integration of fluopimomide and B. methylotrophicus TA-1 than by either alone; control efficacy of fluopimomide at 50 and 100 g ha−1 in combination with B. methylotrophicus TA-1 at 108 colony-forming units (cfu) ml−1 reached 70.16 and 69.32%, respectively, compared with the untreated control. In both field trials during 2017 and 2018, control efficacy was significantly higher for the combination of fluopimomide at 50 and 100 g ha−1 in combination with B. methylotrophicus TA-1 than for either treatment alone. The results from this study indicated that integration of the new fungicide fluopimomide with the biocontrol agent B. methylotrophicus TA-1 synergistically increased control efficacy of the fungicide against gray mold of tomato.


Soil Research ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 847 ◽  
Author(s):  
CDA Mclay ◽  
GSP Ritchie ◽  
WM Porter ◽  
A Cruse

Two field trials were sampled to investigate the changes to soil solution chemical properties of a yellow sandplain soil with an acidic subsoil following the application of gypsum and lime to the soil surface in 1989. The soils were sandy textured and located in a region of low annual rainfall (300-350 mm). Soil was sampled annually to a depth of 1 m and changes in soil solution composition were estimated by extraction of the soil with 0.005 M KCl. Gypsum leaching caused calcium (Ca), sulfate (SO4) and the ionic strength to increase substantially in both topsoil and subsoil by the end of the first year. Continued leaching in the second year caused these properties to decrease by approximately one-half in the topsoil. Gypsum appeared to have minimal effect on pH or total Al (Al-T), although the amount of Al present as toxic monomeric Al decreased and the amount present as non-toxic AlSO+4 ion pairs increased. Magnesium (Mg) was displaced from the topsoil by gypsum and leached to a lower depth in the subsoil. In contrast, lime caused pH to increase and Al to decrease substantially in the topsoil, but relatively little change to any soil solution properties was observed in the subsoil. There was an indication that more lime may have leached in the presence of gypsum in the first year after application at one site. Wheat yields were best related to the soil acidity index Al-T/EC (where EC is electrical conductivity of a 1:5 soil:water extract), although the depth at which the relationship was strongest in the subsoil varied between sites. The ratio Al-T/EC was strongly correlated with the activity of monomeric Al species (i.e. the sum of the activities of Al3+, AlOH2+ and Al(OH)+2 in the soil solution. An increase in the concentration of sulfate in the subsoil solution (which increased the ionic strength, thereby decreasing the activity of Al3+, and also increased the amount of Al present as the AlSO+4 ion pair) was probably the most important factor decreasing Al toxicity to wheat. The results indicated that gypsum could be used to increase wheat growth in aluminium toxic subsoils in sandy soils of low rainfall regions and that a simple soil test could be used to predict responses.


Weed Science ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Kratky ◽  
G. F. Warren

A mixture of activated carbon and vermiculite was used to increase the tolerance to 2-chloro-4,6-bis(ethylamino)-s-triazine (simazine) of direct-seeded cucumbers (Cucumis sativusL., var. Wisconsin SMR-15) in greenhouse tests and direct-seeded tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentumMill, var. Bouncer) in greenhouse and field (var. Heinz 1370) tests. The tolerance of cucumbers to dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA) and 4-(methylsulfonyl)-2,6-dini tro-N,N-dipropylaniline (nitralin) also was increased in field trials. When the mixture was placed in a hole (0.75 inch deep by 1 inch diam) over the crop seed to the level of the soil surface, preemergence herbicides were detoxified in the small area; and the crop plant was not injured. The herbicide remained active outside the small protected area. Also, a wafer consisting of an activated carbon-vermiculite mixture, fertilizer, and seed provided protection to direct-seeded crops.


2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.D. Floate

AbstractA field study was performed in southern Alberta, Canada, to assess the native wasp, Trichomalopsis sarcophagae (Gahan), as a potential biocontrol agent for house fly, Musca domestica L., and stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.). The wasp was readily reared in large numbers, which allowed for the cumulative release of an estimated 4.63 million wasps into three commercial feedlots during the 2-year study. Each of several releases predictably and repeatedly enhanced parasitism of sentinel house fly pupae, whereas parasitism remained low in three paired control feedlots where wasps were not released. Releases every 2nd week had a disproportionately greater effect than releases every 2nd month. In 1998, 1.2 million wasps were released into treatment feedlots resulting in the recovery of 3 952 T. sarcophagae from 31 500 sentinel pupae (0.13 wasps/pupa). In 1999, 3.43 million wasps were released into treatment feedlots, with the recovery of 37 763 wasps from 47 720 sentinel pupae (0.79 wasps/pupa). Hence, a 2.8-fold increase in the number of wasps released in 1999 resulted in a 6.1-fold increase in the recovery of wasps. This result supports industry recommendations of regular, repeated releases of wasps every 2nd or 4th week versus one or infrequent releases throughout the summer. There was no evidence that releases augmented overwintering populations of the wasp in subsequent years. These results provide proof-of-concept for the mass-rearing and release of T. sarcophagae as an inundative biocontrol agent for the control of pest flies in cattle confinements. Further studies will be required to assess the effect of T. sarcophagae releases on natural populations of pest flies.


2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (10) ◽  
pp. 1105-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yigal Cohen ◽  
Sonja Farkash ◽  
Alexander Baider ◽  
David S. Shaw

Two field experiments were conducted to study the effect of overhead sprinkling irrigation on oospore formation by the late blight fungus Phytophthora infestans in potato. Total rain (natural + sprinkling) accumulated in treatments of experiment 1 (winter 1997 to 1998) were 765, 287, and 219 mm and treatments of experiment 2 (winter 1999 to 2000) were 641, 193, and 129 mm. Sporangia from 11 isolates of P. infestans were combined in eight pairs, seven of A1 and A2 and one of A2 and A2 mating type, and were sprayed on field-grown potato crops (42 plants per plot at 7 m2 each) and examined for their ability to form oospores in the host tissues. In experiment 1, oospores were recorded in a total of 132 of 1,680 leaflets (7.9%), 24 of 105 stems, and 2 of 90 tubers. In experiment 2, oospores were recorded in 40 of 519 leaflets (7.7%), but not in any of the 90 stems or the 45 tubers examined. Both the proportion of leaflets containing oospores and the number of oospores per leaflet increased with time after inoculation and were dependent on the rain regime, the position of leaves on the plant, and the isolate pair combination. In both field trials, increasing the rainfall significantly enhanced oospore production in leaves. Leaf samples collected from the soil surface had significantly more oospores than those collected from the midcanopy. Two pairs in experiment 1 were more fertile than the others, whereas the pair used in experiment 2 was the least fertile. The total number of oospores per leaflet usually ranged from 10 to 100 in experiment 1, but only from 2 to 10 in experiment 2. Maximal oospore counts in the field were 200 and 50 in experiments 1 and 2, respectively, but ranged from ≈2,000 to 12,000 oospores per leaflet in detached leaves in the laboratory. We concluded that P. infestans can produce oospores in the foliage of field-grown potato crops, especially when kept wet by regular overhead sprinkling irrigation, but production was far below that in the laboratory.


Plant Disease ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Widmer

Phytophthora species produce sporangia that either germinate directly or release zoospores, depending upon environmental conditions. Previous Phytophthora spp. inoculation trials have used both sporangia and zoospores as the inoculum type. However, it is unknown what impact propagule type has on disease. Rhododendron leaf disks were inoculated with P. ramorum zoospores (75, 500, or 2,400 per disk), sporangia (75 per disk), or sporangia plus trifluoperazine hydrochloride (TFP) (75 per disk), a chemical that inhibits zoospore formation. Combining results from two different isolates, the highest concentration of zoospores (2,400 per disk) induced a significantly higher percentage of necrotic leaf disk area (96.6%) than sporangia (87.6%) and 500 zoospores per disk (88.7%). The sporangia plus TFP treatment had the lowest necrosis at 47.5%. Rooted rhododendron cuttings had a higher percentage of necrotic leaves per plant when inoculated with zoospores (3,000 or 50,000 per ml) or cysts (50,000 per ml) than with sporangia (3,000 per ml) with or without TFP. The percentage of necrotic leaf area was significantly higher when cysts or zoospores were inoculated at 50,000 per ml than sporangia without TFP and zoospores at 3,000 per ml. All treatments were significantly higher in the percentage of necrotic leaf area than the leaves treated with sporangia plus TFP. This demonstrates that the full inoculum potential may not be achieved when sporangia are used as the inoculum propagule.


1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 635 ◽  
Author(s):  
NP Curtis

Germination of Xanthorrhoea australis R.Br. was affected by temperature, stratification, the time of seed collecting, and light. Ninety eight percent of seeds germinated at the optimum temperature, 15-20°C, in the laboratory which matched field conditions during times of reliable rainfall. A varying temperature of 20-12°C brought seeds sown in soils out of dormancy 6 weeks earlier than those under a fixed temperature regime. The germination of seeds stratified at 4°C for 11 weeks was 90% compared with 40% for unstratified seeds. For spring- and autumn-picked seeds, germination in the dark was 98%; but for spring-picked seed, germination in light was 90% compared with 60% for autumn-picked seed, with both picked in the same year. After a simulated summer, when temperatures decreased, seeds in light (or on the soil surface) had 3% germination, while those in the dark (buried) had 40% germination. In field trials using five different substrates, germination of buried seed ranged from 30% to 55%, with a seedling survival in the first post-fire autumn of 28-43%, which was significantly greater (P < 0.001) than that of the surface-sown seed. However, in cabinet trials with the same substrates, there was no significant difference between germination in buried and surface-sown seeds (25-40% germination). The lower germination in the field of surface-sown seeds could be explained by loss due to seed predation, and lack of moisture, causing incomplete imbibition and water stress on seedling survival. These findings show that to establish X. australis in areas degraded by soil pathogens, fire or clearing, seeds should be sown in the late winter at a depth of 3 mm, with protection from grazing.


1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Stirzaker ◽  
I White

Excessive cultivation in many horticultural areas results in soil structural decline and poor utilization of water and nutrients. There are no reliable techniques for growing irrigated vegetables without cultivation. This work explores the hypothesis that a winter legume cover-crop can overcome the soil limitations of no-tillage and provide an alternative to excessive cultivation in the vegetable industry. We grew lettuce (Lactuca sativa) under no-tillage in field trials on a sandy loam soil following a bare winter fallow or a cover-crop of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), and compared this with cultivation by rotary hoe. The clover died naturally in early summer or was desiccated in the spring to form a mulch of at least 5 t ha-1 on the soil surface. The experiment was carried out over a 2.5 year period. The first crop was grown during hot weather and the soil in the no-tillage treatments was only moderately compacted. The yield of lettuce was similar in the no-tillage and cultivated treatments, and increased by about 30% when a mulch was added to each treatment. The soil was artificially compacted after the first crop. The second crop was grown 18 months later, during cooler spring weather, and following two further cover-crops. The yield of no-tillage lettuce was only 40% of that obtained with cultivation. Yield in the no-tillage treatment was doubled in two different ways: (1) by the addition of a surface mulch, and (2) through changes to soil structure stimulated by a cover-crop in the absence of a mulch. The experiments showed that a well-managed cover-crop can significantly ameliorate a compacted sandy soil by modifying soil temperature, soil strength, and by stimulating the formation of biopores.


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