Lessons from 10 years of stakeholder adoption of a soil bioassay for assessing the risk of spinach Fusarium wilt

Although the maritime Pacific Northwest (PNW) is the only region of the United States suitable climatically for spinach seed production, the acidic soils are highly conducive to spinach Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae. A soil bioassay developed to quantify the risk of spinach Fusarium wilt in fields has been offered to seed growers annually since 2010. Soil sampled from growers' fields each winter was planted with highly susceptible, moderately susceptible, and partially resistant spinach inbred lines, and the plants rated weekly to calculate a Fusarium wilt severity index (FWSI) and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). Results for 147 soils tested from 2010 to 2013 have been published. This study examined results for an additional 248 soils tested from 2014 to 2019 with the bioassay modified to include an option of agricultural limestone amendment to the soils tested. FWSI and AUDPC were affected significantly (p < .001) by the main effects of soil and spinach inbred line, and the interaction of these factors. Correlation analyses showed a range in degree of association of FWSI and AUDPC with spinach seed crop rotation duration and soil properties, depending on the spinach inbred line (r = −.255 to –.267, n = 172 soils with characteristics suitable for correlation analyses). Stepwise regression models for 172 soils with relevant parameters for regression analyses identified spinach seed crop rotation interval, rate of agricultural limestone amendment, soil pH, and soil Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations as most strongly associated with FWSI and AUDPC. However, the models accounted for ≤33.4% (R²) of the variability in Fusarium wilt risk. The soil bioassay remains a primary tool for spinach seed growers to select fields with low risk of Fusarium wilt.     

The potential for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae,cause of fusarium wilt of strawberry,to colonize organic matter in soil and persist through anaerobic soil disinfestation

Fusarium wilt of strawberry, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, is a disease of primary concern for strawberry production in many countries. Crop rotation and anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) have gained recent interest for their potential to contribute to management of this disease. Both techniques involve incorporation of organic matter into soil, which may be utilized by strains of Fusarium that are competitive saprophytes. We show that F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae can colonize strawberry, lettuce, raspberry, and broccoli leaf tissues, which are sources of organic matter generated during crop rotation. This pathogen increased in soil population density during ASD treatments that did not become anaerobic, possibly as a result of growth on the organic amendment. However, significant population decreases were observed after ASD treatment when at least 100,000 cumulative reduced mV hours occurred in a 14-day experiment. Post-ASD abundance of F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae in soil was negatively correlated with cumulative reduced mV hours. The only treatment that consistently caused disinfestation was exposed to a maximum temperature of 22 °C, which indicates there is potential for developing effective ASD treatments in the cool climates where strawberries are grown. Awareness that F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae can act as a competitive soil saprophyte should be further investigated for its potential to alter disease outcomes where organic amendments are applied.     

西兰花轮作及其残体还田对土壤中病原菌微菌核数量、黄萎病发生及马铃薯产量的影响

为明确西兰花轮作及其残体还田对土壤中病原菌大丽轮枝菌Verticillium dahliae微菌核数量、马铃薯黄萎病发生以及马铃薯产量的影响,分别于2017-2018年和2018-2019年在内蒙古自治区乌兰察布市凉城县岱海镇元山子农场人工病圃和锡林郭勒盟正蓝旗上都镇菜园村自然病圃开展田间试验,利用NP-10培养基测定不同处理土壤中的大丽轮枝菌微菌核数量,并对马铃薯地上叶片和地下块茎上黄萎病的发病率、病情指数以及马铃薯总产量和商品薯产量进行调查。结果显示,以马铃薯连作方式为对照,西兰花轮作及其残体还田后土壤中大丽轮枝菌微菌核的数量明显减少,其中在人工病圃于7、8和9月调查时分别降低了8.46%、36.41%和36.27%,在自然病圃于7、8和9月调查时则分别降低了7.22%、38.06%和48.84%;马铃薯地上叶片和地下块茎上黄萎病的发病率和病情指数均显著降低,在人工病圃对黄萎病的防效为32.91%和54.82%,在自然病圃对黄萎病的防效为46.72%和34.78%;马铃薯总产量和商品薯产量均有所提高,在人工病圃分别增产27.74%和40.08%,在自然病圃分别增产7.12%和8.77%。表明西兰花作为理想的轮作作物可应用于马铃薯黄萎病的有效防控。     

Colonization of lettuce cultivars and rotation crops by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae,the cause of fusarium wilt of lettuce

The severity of fusarium wilt is affected by inoculum density in soil, which is expected to decline during intervals when a non‐susceptible crop is grown. However, the anticipated benefits of crop rotation may not be realized if the pathogen can colonize and produce inoculum on a resistant cultivar or rotation crop. The present study documented colonization of roots of broccoli, cauliflower and spinach by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, the cause of fusarium wilt of lettuce. The frequency of infection was significantly lower on all three rotation crops than on a susceptible lettuce cultivar, and the pathogen was restricted to the cortex of roots of broccoli. However, F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae was isolated from the root vascular stele of 7·4% of cauliflower plants and 50% of spinach plants that were sampled, indicating a greater potential for colonization and production of inoculum on these crops. The pathogen was also recovered from the root vascular stele of five fusarium wilt‐resistant lettuce cultivars. Thus, disease‐resistant plants may support growth of the pathogen and thereby contribute to an increase in soil inoculum density. Cultivars that were indistinguishable based on above‐ground symptoms, differed significantly in the extent to which they were colonized by F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae. Less extensively colonized cultivars may prove to be superior sources of resistance to fusarium wilt for use in breeding programmes.     

Control of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium dahliae</Emphasis> at a strawberry nursery by paddy-upland rotation

Effects of crop rotation between rice paddy fields and strawberry nurseries on the control of Verticillium wilt of strawberry were studied. For detecting Verticillium dahliae, the causal agent of Verticillium wilt, in soil, eggplant was used as an indicator plant. We were thus able to detect as low as 1 microsclerotium/g dry soil. In field surveys of Chiba and Hokkaido from 2000 to 2003, V. dahliae was detected in 9 of 10 upland fields but in none of 21 paddy-upland fields. In Hokkaido during 2000–2007, strawberry mother plants were planted, and plantlets were produced in upland and paddy-upland fields to assess V. dahliae infestation. Verticillium wilt of strawberry had never occurred in 72 tested paddy-upland fields, compared to 13.2–73.9% of plantlets infected with V. dahliae in upland fields. In a pot experiment in a greenhouse, two flooding treatments or two paddy rice cultivations suppressed Verticillium wilt symptoms on eggplant. In field experiments, one paddy rice cultivation in Chiba and two in Hokkaido prevented development of Verticillium wilt symptoms on eggplant. Verticillium wilt of strawberry was controlled completely with one paddy rice cultivation in infested fields in Chiba. In these field experiments, the number of microsclerotia of V. dahliae decreased under the flooding conditions for paddy rice cultivation. Based on the reduction in microsclerotia, a crop rotation system with paddy rice for 3 years (three times), green manure for 1 year, and strawberry nursery for 1 year was designed for Hokkaido.     

Potato brown rot incidence and severity under different management and amendment regimes in different soil types

Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2, the causative agent of potato brown rot (bacterial wilt), is an economically important disease in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the world. In view of previous reports on suppression of the disease by organic amendments, and the expansion of organic agriculture, it was timely to compare the effects of organic and conventional management and various amendments on brown rot development in different soils (type: sand or clay; origin: Egypt or the Netherlands). Brown rot infection was only slightly reduced in organically compared to conventionally managed sandy soils from Egypt, but organic management significantly increased disease incidence and pathogen survival in Dutch sandy and clay soils, which correlated with high DOC contents in the organic Dutch soils. There was no correlation between disease incidence or severity and bacterial diversity in the potato rhizosphere in differently managed soils (as determined by 16S DGGE). NPK fertilization reduced bacterial wilt in conventional Egyptian soils but not in Dutch soils. Cow manure amendment significantly reduced disease incidence in organic Dutch sandy soils, but did not affect the bacterial population. However, cow manure did reduce densities of R. solanacearum in Egyptian sandy soils, most probably by microbial competition as a clear shift in populations was detected with DGGE in these and Dutch sandy soils after manure amendment. Amendment with compost did not have a suppressive effect in any soil type. The absence of a disease suppressive effect of mineral and organic fertilization in Dutch clay soils may be related to the already high availability of inorganic and organic nutrients in these soils. This study shows that the mechanism of disease suppression of soil-borne plant pathogens may vary strongly according to the soil type, especially if quite different types of soil are used.     

Suppression of Fusarium wilt of spinach with compost amendments

The effect of different organic composts on the suppression of wilt disease of spinach caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae was evaluated in a continuous cropping system in both containers and in microplot field trials. Test soils infested with the pathogen were amended with wheatbran, wheatbran and sawdust, coffee grounds, chicken manure, or mixture of different composts with and without 5% (w/w) crab shell powder either once (5%, w/w) or continuously (2.5%) into the test soils infested with the pathogen. In the container trials, the soil amended with composts became suppressive to disease development on the second and third cropping. The suppressive effect was notable in the soil amended with the mixture of compost with and without crab shell powder. The coffee compost lowered soil pH but became suppressive to the disease after modifying the soil pH. In the field trial using the mixture of the different composts containing 5% crab shell powder, a combination of 5% before the first cropping and 2.5% every second cropping gave stable disease control and promoted plant growth. After compost amendment, populations of fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes as measured by dilution plate counting and the total microbial activity as evaluated by fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis increased and population of the pathogen gradually decreased. These phenomena were especially notable in soils amended with the mixture of different composts. These results indicate that diversity in the organic materials promotes higher microbial activity and population in the soil thereby enhancing disease suppressiveness.     

A Fusarium Wilt Resistance Gene in Gossypium barbadense and Its Effect on Root-Knot Nematode-Wilt Disease Complex

ABSTRACT Fusarium wilt, caused by the soilborne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 1, is a vascular disease in cotton (Gossypium spp.), and is a component of a disease complex with root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita). Genetic analysis of two interspecific crosses (G. barbadense Pima S-7 x G. hirsutum Acala NemX and Pima S-7 x Acala SJ-2) showed that one major gene (designated Fov1) with allele dosage effect conferred resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 1 in Pima S-7. Two amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were linked to Fov1 in Pima S-7, with genetic distance from the gene of 9.3 and 14.6 centimorgans. Less severe wilt symptoms in Acala NemX than Acala SJ-2 indicated that Acala NemX possesses one or more minor genes contributing to delay of wilt symptoms. Highly resistant plants in F(2) and F(3) (Pima S-7 x NemX) families indicated transgressive segregation effects of minor genes in Acala NemX combined with Fov1 from Pima S-7. The effects of wilt and nematode resistance on the nematode-wilt disease complex were assayed with two inoculation methods. In the presence of both pathogens, wilt damage measured as shoot and root weight reductions was greatest on wilt- and nematode-susceptible Acala SJ-2 and least in root-knot nematode-resistant and wilt-susceptible Acala NemX. Intermediate damage occurred in wilt-resistant and root-knot nematode-susceptible Pima S-7. The results indicated that nematode resistance was more effective than wilt resistance in suppressing wilt symptoms when either resistance was present alone. Nematode resistance combined with intermediate wilt resistance, as in the F(1) (Pima S-7 x NemX), was highly effective in protecting plants from root-knot nematodes and race 1 of Fusarium wilt as a disease complex.     

Fusarium wilt of banana: biology,epidemiology and management

Fusarium oxysporum is a soil borne hyphomycete that causes vascular wilts in several crop plants. A variety of remedial measures such as the use of fungicides, soil amendments and biological antagonists have proved insufficient in controlling F. oxysporum. Ever since it was first reported in banana crop, the only effective control strategy known is planting of resistant cultivars. However, presumably due to the high mutation rates and rapid co-evolution with its host, Fusarium wilt has surmounted host defense barriers and has already begun infecting even the resistant Cavendish varieties that dominate export markets worldwide. Transgenic banana plants showing enhanced resistance to Fusarium wilt have been developed in recent past, but they remain largely confined to the laboratory. The importance of banana as source of food and income in developing countries world over and the need to develop Fusarium wilt tolerant cultivars by novel biotechnological approaches is detailed herein. In this communication, we review the biology and management of Fusarium wilt in banana with the aim of providing the baseline of information to encourage much needed research on integrated management of this destructive banana crop disease problem.     

Mechanism of broccoli-mediated verticillium wilt reduction in cauliflower

ABSTRACT Broccoli is resistant to Verticillium dahliae infection and does not express wilt symptoms. Incorporation of broccoli residues reduces soil populations of V. dahliae. The effects of broccoli residue were tested on the colonization of roots by V. dahliae, plant growth response, and disease incidence of both broccoli and cauliflower in soils with different levels of V. dahliae inoculum and with or without fresh broccoli residue amendments. The three soils included a low-Verticillium soil, a high-Verticillium soil, and a broccoli-rotation soil (soil from a field after two broccoli crops) with an average of 13, 38, and below-detectable levels of microsclerotia per g of soil, respectively. Cauliflower plants in broccoli-amended high-Verticillium soil had significantly (P 相似文献   

Suppression of bacterial wilt of tomato by soil amendment with mushroom compost containing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</Emphasis> IUMC7

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens IUMC7 and its culture supernatant, which we previously found to suppress Fusarium wilt, were found here to have antimicrobial activity against Ralstonia solanacearum. In in vivo experiments, mushroom compost inoculated with IUMC7 significantly reduced disease severity in tomato plants over that in control soils. The R. solanacearum population decreased in soil inoculated with IUMC7. A TLC–bioautography assay showed that one of the antimicrobial substances produced by IUMC7 is likely an iturin-like lipopeptide. These results suggest that these antimicrobial compounds are responsible for disease suppression and that mushroom compost containing IUMC7 has potential as a biocontrol product.     

堆肥提取液诱导草莓对黄萎病抗性及抑菌机理研究

为了明确菌糠堆肥提取液的生物防治效果,进一步探讨其抑菌防病机理,以便于有针对性地利用堆肥提取液达到防病、治病的效果。采用体内和体外2种试验方法,以草莓黄萎病菌为靶标病原菌,研究了堆肥提取液原液、高温灭菌液和过滤除菌液对大丽轮枝菌菌丝生长和分生孢子萌发的抑制作用,通过温室盆栽试验验证其对草莓黄萎病的防病促生效果,并测定根施堆肥提取液对草莓叶片内防御酶系的影响。研究表明,堆肥提取液对病原菌菌丝生长和分生孢子萌发均有显著的抑制作用,抑制率分别为92.43%和82.94%,经高温灭菌和过滤除菌后抑制效果显著降低。盆栽试验结果表明,预先用堆肥提取液灌根处理对草莓黄萎病的防治效果高达42.23%,且能诱导草莓叶片内防御酶活性显著增强,接病原菌后第6 d该处理下的POD和PPO活性分别比施清水对照提高了45.45%和39.47%,而MDA含量则下降了14.83%。说明微生物对病原菌的直接抑制作用以及诱导系统抗性是菌糠堆肥提取液发挥抑菌防病功效的主要因素。     

Cyanobacteria mediated plant growth promotion and bioprotection against Fusarium wilt in tomato

Cyanobacteria - phytopathogenic fungi - tomato plant interactions were evaluated for developing suitable biological options for combating biotic stress (Fusarium wilt) and enhancing plant vigour. Preliminary evaluation was undertaken on the fungicidal and hydrolytic enzyme activity of the cyanobacterial strains (Anabaena variabilis RPAN59, A. laxa RPAN8) under optimized environmental/nutritional conditions, followed by amendment in compost-vermiculite. Such formulations were tested against Fusarium wilt challenged tomato plants, and the Anabaena spp. (RPAN59/8) amended composts significantly reduced mortality in fungi challenged treatments, besides fungal load in soil. Cyanobacteria amended composts also led to an enhancement in soil organic C, nitrogen fixation, besides significant improvement in growth, yield, fruit quality parameters, N, P and Zn content. The tripartite interactions also enhanced the activity of defence and pathogenesis related enzymes in tomato plants. A positive correlation (r?=?0.729 to 0.828) between P content and pathogenesis/defense enzyme activity revealed their role in enhancing the resistance of the plant through improved nutrient uptake. Light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed cyanobacterial colonization, which positively correlated with reduced fungal populations. The reduced disease severity coupled with improved plant growth/ yields, elicited by cyanobacterial treatments, illustrated the utility of such novel formulations in integrated pest and nutrient management strategies for Fusarium wilt challenged tomato crop.     

Farm Management Effects on Rhizosphere Colonization by Native Populations of 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol-Producing Pseudomonas spp. and Their Contributions to Crop Health

ABSTRACT Analyses of multiple field experiments indicated that the incidence and relative abundance of root-colonizing phlD+ Pseudomonas spp. were influenced by crop rotation, tillage, organic amendments, and chemical seed treatments in subtle but reproducible ways. In no-till corn plots, 2-year rotations with soybean resulted in plants with approximately twofold fewer phlD+ pseudomonads per gram of root, but 3-year rotations with oat and hay led to population increases of the same magnitude. Interestingly, tillage inverted these observed effects of cropping sequence in two consecutive growing seasons, indicating a complex but reproducible interaction between rotation and tillage on the rhizosphere abundance of 2,4-diacetlyphloroglucinol (DAPG) producers. Amending conventionally managed sweet corn plots with dairy manure compost improved plant health and also increased the incidence of root colonization when compared with nonamended plots. Soil pH was negatively correlated to rhizosphere abundance of phlD+ pseudomonads in no-till and nonamended soils, with the exception of the continuous corn treatments. Chemical seed treatments intended to control fungal pathogens and insect pests on corn also led to more abundant populations of phlD in different tilled soils. However, increased root disease severity generally was associated with elevated levels of root colonization by phlD+ pseudomonads in no-till plots. Interestingly, within a cropping sequence treatment, correlations between the relative abundance of phlD and crop stand or yield were generally positive on corn, and the strength of those correlations was greater in plots experiencing more root disease pressure. In contrast, such correlations were generally negative in soybean, a difference that may be partially explained by difference in application of N fertilizers and soil pH. Our findings indicate that farming practices can alter the relative abundance and incidence of phlD+ pseudomonads in the rhizosphere and that practices that reduce root disease severity (i.e., rotation, tillage, and chemical seed treatment) are not universally linked to increased root colonization by DAPG-producers.     

Biological impact of divergent land management practices on tomato crop health

Development of sustainable food systems is contingent upon the adoption of land management practices that can mitigate damage from soilborne pests. Five diverse land management practices were studied for their impacts on Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici), galling of roots by Meloidogyne spp. and marketable yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and to identify associations between the severity of pest damage and the corresponding soil microbial community structure. The incidence of Fusarium wilt was >14% when tomato was cultivated following 3 to 4 years of an undisturbed weed fallow or continuous tillage disk fallow rotation and was >4% after 3 to 4 years of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) rotation or organic production practices that included soil amendments and cover crops. The incidence of Fusarium wilt under conventional tomato production with soil fumigation varied from 2% in 2003 to 15% in 2004. Repeated tomato cultivation increased Fusarium wilt by 20% or more except when tomato was grown using organic practices, where disease remained less than 3%. The percent of tomato roots with galls from Meloidogyne spp. ranged from 18 to 82% in soil previously subjected to a weed fallow rotation and 7 to 15% in soil managed previously as a bahiagrass pasture. Repeated tomato cultivation increased the severity of root galling in plots previously subjected to a conventional or disk fallow rotation but not in plots managed using organic practices, where the percentage of tomato roots with galls remained below 1%. Marketable yield of tomato exceeded 35 Mg ha(-1) following all land management strategies except the strip-tillage/bahiagrass program. Marketable yield declined by 11, 14, and 19% when tomato was grown in consecutive years following a bahiagrass, weed fallow, and disk rotation. The composition of fungal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and bacterial 16S rDNA amplicons isolated from soil fungal and bacterial communities corresponded with observed differences in the incidence of Fusarium wilt and severity of root galling from Meloidogyne spp. and provided evidence of an association between the effect of land management practices on soil microbial community structure, severity of root galling from Meloidogyne spp., and the incidence of Fusarium wilt.     

Improving Lettuce Yield and Quality of an Agricultural Soil Using a Combination of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus and Phosphate-Green Wastes Compost

The use of biofertilizers on agricultural soils could act positively to improve soil fertility and crop productivity. This work was performed to assess the potential beneficial impacts of local produced phospho-compost and/or an exogenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) (Rhizoglomus irregulare DAOM 197198) on lettuce agro-physiological and soil characteristics under filed conditions. Four treatments were applied: control treatment without any biofertilizer, compost, AMF, and compost?+?AMF treatments. Obtained results showed that shoot nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were significantly improved in lettuce plants treated with compost supplementation and/or AMF inoculation compared to the control with a maximum increment for P in plants treated with compost (106%). As for growth traits, lettuce plants treated with compost?+?AMF recorded the highest values in terms of shoot and root dry weights and yield by 121, 54 and 127%, respectively, compared to the control plants. Considering physiological and biochemical traits, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll fluorescence as well leaf area index and total soluble sugar and protein concentration were significantly improved in plants treated with compost and/or AMF compared to the control. In addition, soil properties, especially the soil total organic carbon, N, P, and glomalin-related soil protein content were significantly enhanced after two months of field experiment in treated soils with the applied biofertilizers alone or in combination compared to the control. Based on the main obtained results, applied biofertilizers were able to increase lettuce productivity and soil fertility under field conditions, especially the compost?+?AMF treatment, which demonstrated an effectiveness promotion of lettuce productivity and soil fertility.

     

Impact of soil chemistry,nutrient supplements,and fungicides on the health and yield of field-grown processing tomatoes

We report the results of a 3-year study in which we collected and analyzed soil and yield data from experimental plots in six commercial processing tomato fields in Yolo and Solano counties in California. Our objective was to assess the effect of soil chemistry and soil-delivered nutrients and fungicides on tomato plant health and fruit yield at harvest. Marketable yield, leaf necrosis, and fruit loss due to sunburn differed significantly between individual fields, with averages ranging from 81.2–138.5 Mg ha^?1, 32–72% leaf necrosis and 1.9 to 8.8% sunburnt fruit, respectively. Higher-yielding fields showed significantly lower levels of leaf necrosis and sunburn damage and a positive correlation with pre-plant soil parameters such as potassium concentration and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Interestingly, soil amendments of composted poultry manure or other nutrient supplements in low-CEC fields, but not high-CEC fields, resulted in higher fruit yield and less leaf necrosis. While all fields showed symptoms typical of Verticillium wilt and some fields showed symptoms of Fusarium wilt, Fusarium crown and root rot, corky root, and root knot nematode, none of our soil amendments, including chemical and biological fungicides, significantly or consistently reduced incidence or severity of these diseases. We discuss our findings in the context of premature vine decline of tomato, an emerging phenomenon in production fields in the Sacramento Valley, which is characterized by the loss of plant vigor and canopy cover at the onset of fruit ripening and for which causative agent(s) and management options in California remain elusive. (247 words).     

The effects of soil solarization and soil fumigation on Fusarium wilt of watermelon grown in plastic house in south-eastern Spain

The effects of pre-planting solarization or fumigation with metham-sodium of sand-mulched soil on fusarium wilt of watermelon in plastic house culture were investigated at Almeria, south-eastern Spain. In two trials, 2 months' solarization increased the average maximum soil temperature by c. 5°C to 44-48° C at 10 cm depth and by 4-5° C to 40-42° C at 20-30 cm. The amount of Fusarium oxysporum in the upper 15 cm of a naturally infested soil was reduced by solarization and by fumigation. During the 9 months following treatment, the F. oxysporum population stabilized at a low level in soil solarized for 2 months, but fluctuated in soil solarized for 1 month and increased in fumigated soil. The amount of wilt in watermelon sown into this soil after treatment was generally low; plants growing in solarized or fumigated soil suffered less wilt than plants in untreated soil but the differences were not significant. In a soil artificially infested with the highly pathogenic race 2 of F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum, F. oxysporum populations were greatly reduced following solarization or fumigation, and fluctuated erratically thereafter. Solarization for 2 months completely controlled wilt in watermelon and gave a fruit yield almost five times that of plants in untreated soil. Solarization for 1 month only slowed disease development slightly but gave a yield more than twice that in untreated soil. Fumigation with metham-sodium retarded disease development considerably and tripled fruit yield. Plant performance was significantly better in soil solarized for 2 months than in uninfested control soil, suggesting beneficial effects of this treatment additional to wilt control.     

Plant disease management in organic farming systems

Organic farming (OF) has significantly increased in importance in recent decades. Disease management in OF is largely based on the maintenance of biological diversity and soil health by balanced crop rotations, including nitrogen‐fixing and cover crops, intercrops, additions of manure and compost and reductions in soil tillage. Most soil‐borne diseases are naturally suppressed, while foliar diseases can sometimes be problematic. Only when a severe disease outbreak is expected are pesticides used that are approved for OF. A detailed overview is given of cultural and biological control measures. Attention is also given to regulated pesticides. We conclude that a systems approach to disease management is required, and that interdisciplinary research is needed to solve lingering disease problems, especially for OF in the tropics. Some of the organic regulations are in need of revision in close collaboration with various stakeholders. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

土壤施加氧化钙对西瓜枯萎病的影响及其机理初探

为探明土壤撒施石灰对西瓜枯萎病发生的影响,本试验设计5个浓度剂量的氧化钙对连作西瓜5年的土壤进行消毒处理,通过栽培感病品种并调查植株生长情况、枯萎病发病率等指标,结合土壤中尖孢镰刀菌西瓜专化型1号小种病原菌孢子量和土壤pH的变化动态,以此评估土壤施加石灰防治西瓜枯萎病的效果,并利用不同浓度的钙对尖孢镰刀菌西瓜专化型菌丝生长和产孢量的影响进行防治机理的初步研究。试验结果表明,当土壤施加氧化钙后,西瓜发病率显著降低,各处理的相对防效分别为14%、57.8%、96.3%、94.7%、94.7%。在定植10d后,各处理均有促进植株生长发育的作用,其中1.34g/kg最显著。而随着氧化钙施加量的增加,土壤pH值也不断提高,30d趋于稳定。对土壤病原菌孢子数量检测表明:各处理土壤中病原菌数量均呈现显著降低的趋势。PDA平板生测结果表明,当钙离子浓度高于80mmol/L时,病原菌的生长及产孢量开始受到抑制,随着浓度的增加,抑制作用加强。土壤施加氧化钙不仅能改善土壤的酸化,还能有效防控西瓜枯萎病,其机理可能是土壤pH值的提高改变了土壤微环境,不利于病原菌侵染;施加的钙离子抑制了病原菌菌丝的生长及孢子的萌发。研究结果对揭示氧化钙防控西瓜枯萎病机制,具有一定的参考价值。