Impact of Fusarium oxysporum on the holoparasitic weed Phelipanche ramosa: biocontrol efficacy under field-grown conditions

Under the changing agro-climatic conditions of western Europe, the parasitic weed Phelipanche ramosa infests host crops such as tomato, hemp, tobacco and oilseed rape at an increasing rate. A Fusarium oxysporum isolate (FOG), that had effectively reduced the parasite's incidence under controlled environmental conditions, was tested in different granular formulations (pesta granules, alginate pellets) on P. ramosa parasitising tobacco under field-grown conditions. FOG reduced number and biomass of P. ramosa shoots by between 50% and 70% in three consecutive years (2006–2008). A single pesta application did not show consistent results throughout seasons; 50% reduction of P. ramosa biomass (DM) in the first year could not be repeated in the following years (20–30%). An alginate formulation applied alone performed better. However, a combination of pesta granules with alginate pellets had the highest reliable control efficacy (60–70%) of all treatments in two seasons, compared with the untreated control. Fungal population counts in soil samples did not show a close correlation to biocontrol efficacy. To understand field performance of this biocontrol agent, additional glasshouse and laboratory studies were conducted using soil from the experimental site. The glasshouse study revealed some fungistatic effects of the field soil that partly explain the reduced efficacy (-40%) in the field compared with results obtained under controlled conditions. Results show the potential of FOG for P. ramosa control. Because formulation affected the biocontrol efficacy, it may be worthwhile to test how the delivery system can be changed in order to achieve increased disease development in the field.