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.     

Effect of soil inoculum level and environmental factors on potato powdery scab caused by Spongospora subterranea

The effects of soil inoculum level and three environmental factors (soil type, soil moisture regime and temperature) on the incidence and severity of powdery scab caused by Spongospora subterranea were investigated in potato plants grown under controlled environmental conditions. Symptoms of powdery scab on tubers were assessed visually, after which DNA was extracted from tuber peelings and quantified in a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay using primers and a TaqMan® probe specific to S. subterranea to establish tuber infection levels. Soil inoculum concentration of S. subterranea did not significantly affect the incidence and severity of either tuber infection or powdery scab symptoms at maturity. No significant differences in disease incidence and severity were found between sandy, loamy and clay soils, although the two lighter soils yielded more powdery scab than clay soil. Constant dampness of the soil resulted in significantly more disease than a fluctuating moisture regime. Infection and disease levels were high at all three temperatures tested (9, 12 and 17°C), but symptoms were most severe at 12°C. The percentage of plants with infected tubers did not increase after tuber initiation, although the amount of S. subterranea DNA detected in tubers and the severity of powdery scab symptoms increased in mature plants. Latent tuber infections were found to be common, especially under conditions suboptimal for disease development. This new information may be important for the prevention of powdery scab in potato-growing areas around the world.     

Edaphic Soil Levels of Mineral Nutrients, pH, Organic Matter, and Cationic Exchange Capacity in the Geocaulosphere Associated with Potato Common Scab

ABSTRACT In order to determine possible relationships between geocaulosphere soil properties and severity of common scab of potato caused by Streptomyces scabies, soils were collected from representative commercial potato fields in Canada: in Simcoe and Dufferin Counties, Ontario and across Prince Edward Island (PEI) in August 2004. Soils immediately adjacent to tubers were sampled and analyzed for select edaphic factors and for pathogen presence using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests with primers that amplify a region of the TxtA gene involved in regulating the biosynthesis of the thaxtomin toxin family. Individual tubers were assessed visually for scab severity. The relationships between soil chemical factors and disease severity were investigated for each region to detect the strongest relationships. Principal component analysis revealed a distinctive clustering of samples with respect to disease severity in PEI but not in Ontario soils. Total and percent saturation of K (%K) were the only factors found associated with high disease severity in soils from both provinces. In PEI soils, pH, Mg, Ca, Cu, and %K, %Mg, %Ca, and %Na were associated with high disease severity, whereas cation exchange capacity (CEC) and Al were correlated with low disease severity soils. In Ontario, high Mn content was strongly correlated with low disease severity soils, whereas %K and organic matter content were correlated with disease severity. Partitioning samples into presence or absence of the TxtA PCR product with corresponding high or low severity showed further significant relationships in the data. There was an excellent correlation between Streptomyces spp. presence as detected by PCR and disease severity in PEI soils; however, the relationship was not as clear in Ontario soils, where many PCR-positive soils had low disease incidence. Principal component and partial least square analysis indicated that disease severity was predicted by soil factors such as organic matter, CEC, pH, Al, %Ca, %Mg, and %K for PEI but not for Ontario soils. The data reveal that the relationship between scab severity and soil chemical components is complex and potentially soil specific.     

氟乐灵处理后棉苗对枯萎病菌的抗侵入及抗扩展特性

以1μg/g土的氟乐灵播前土壤处理,棉花出苗后移栽到无氟乐灵的土壤中并接种棉花枯萎病菌(Fusarium axysporum f. sp. vasinfectum)。结果表明氟乐灵处理明显降低了棉苗枯萎病的株发病率和病情指数,提高了棉苗对枯萎病的抗病性。氟乐灵处理组棉苗根部和茎部枯萎病菌侵染率均低于对照组,特别是上部茎片段中处理组侵染率降低更为明显。氟乐灵处理组棉苗根部和茎部的菌量明显降低,而且处理组茎部菌量的增长明显滞后于对照。以上结果表明,病菌对氟乐灵处理棉苗根部的侵入和病菌在棉苗体内的纵向扩展及增殖受到了阻抑,因而氟乐灵处理后棉苗对枯萎病菌的抗性表现了抗侵入和抗扩展的特性。试验还证明,氟乐灵处理并接种病菌的棉苗茎部组织中类萜烯醛的含量明显提高;并产生一种能抑制病菌大型分生孢子萌发的真菌毒性物质。这些抑菌物质的产生和积累可能与抗扩展特性有关。     

氟乐灵处理后棉苗对枯萎病菌的抗侵入及抗扩展特性

 以1μg/g土的氟乐灵播前土壤处理,棉花出苗后移栽到无氟乐灵的土壤中并接种棉花枯萎病菌(Fusarium axysporum f.sp.vasinfectum)。结果表明氟乐灵处理明显降低了棉苗枯萎病的株发病率和病情指数,提高了棉苗对枯萎病的抗病性。氟乐灵处理组棉苗根部和茎部枯萎病菌侵染率均低于对照组,特别是上部茎片段中处理组侵染率降低更为明显。氟乐灵处理组棉苗根部和茎部的菌量明显降低,而且处理组茎部菌量的增长明显滞后于对照。以上结果表明,病菌对氟乐灵处理棉苗根部的侵入和病菌在棉苗体内的纵向扩展及增殖受到了阻抑,因而氟乐灵处理后棉苗对枯萎病菌的抗性表现了抗侵入和抗扩展的特性。试验还证明,氟乐灵处理并接种病菌的棉苗茎部组织中类萜烯醛的含量明显提高;并产生一种能抑制病菌大型分生孢子萌发的真菌毒性物质。这些抑菌物质的产生和积累可能与抗扩展特性有关。     

Potassium forms in calcareous soils as affected by clay minerals and soil development in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province,Southwest Iran

Potassium(K) is known as one of the essential nutrients for the growth of plant species. The relationship between K and clay minerals can be used to understand the K cycling, and assess the plant uptake and potential of soil K fertility. This study was conducted to analyze the K forms(soluble, exchangeable, non-exchangeable and structural) and the relationship of K forms with clay minerals of calcareous soils in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Southwest Iran. The climate is hotter and drier in the west and south of the province than in the east and north of the province. A total of 54 pedons were dug in the study area and 32 representative pedons were selected. The studied pedons were mostly located on calcareous deposits. The soils in the study area can be classified into 5 orders including Entisols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Alfisols and Vertisols. The main soil clay minerals in the west and south of the study area were illite, chlorite and palygorskite, whereas they were smectite, vermiculite and illite in the north and east of the province. Due to large amount of smectite and high content of organic carbon in soil surface, the exchangeable K in surface soils was higher than that in subsurface soils. It seems that organic matter plays a more important role than smectite mineral in retaining exchangeable K in the studied soils. Non-exchangeable K exhibited close relationships with clay content, illite, vermiculite and smectite. Although the amount of illite was the same in almost all pedons, amounts of structural and non-exchangeable K were higher in humid regions than in arid and semi-arid regions. This difference may be related to the poor reservoir of K~+ minerals like palygorskite and chlorite together with illite in arid and semi-arid regions. In humid areas, illite was accompanied by vermiculite and smectite as the K~+ reservoir. Moreover, the mean cumulative non-exchangeable K released by CaCl_2 was higher than that released by oxalic acid, which may be due to the high buffering capacity resulting from high carbonates in soils.     

荒漠碱土代换性钠对小麦苗期生长的影响

研究土壤碱化对不同农作物生长的影响是碱化土壤改良十分重要的课题,国内外对此已作了许多工作。其研究内容大多为以不同品种的耐碱性能,作物对矿质养分的吸收及在不同碱化程度土壤上作物的生长等。本文选择北疆主要农作物冬小麦,研究了在不同代换性钠百分率条件下,小麦苗期的生长情况,探索了其生长不良之原因。     

The relationship between brown and corky root rot caused by Pyrenochaeta lycopersici and yield loss in tomatoes established by the use of artificially infested soils

In an experiment conducted in a commercial glasshouse, tomato plants were grown in pots containing soils infested with a range of levels of Pyrenochaeta lycopersici in a randomized block design. There was found to be a negative correlation ( r = -0.93) between total yield in kg per plant (y) and % disease severity ( x ) recorded 8 weeks after planting when the disease data were exponentiated; the best fit was obtained by the equation v = 45.7–42.3 x ^0.006 Fruit number was reduced by 0.2% for each 1% increase in the disease, but a stronger correlation was obtained by the equation y (fruit number) = 417–368 x 0.006
In a separate trial, the relationship between disease severity 8 weeks after planting and yield loss was shown to be affected by soil type. Early-season loss of potential yield was found to be lower in sandy soil than in peat and clay. By the end of the season, loss in total potential yield was greater in peat soil than in clay. The effect that soil conditions can have in modifying the relationship between disease severity and yield loss is discussed.     

The influence of soil and other physical factors on the antifungal activity of carbendazim against Rhizoctonia solani

The inhibition of the growth of Rhizoctohia solani in vitro by carbendazim was maximal at 20°C and at pH 8. In pot tests using mung bean, maximum protection against ‘damping-off’, caused by R. solani, was obtained when seeds were treated with carbendazim. at 1 g a. i. kg^?1 (as a wettable powder) and sown in river sands of pH 7 and 8, kept at a 20°C. Better disease control was obtained in soils kept moist by frequent watering than in soils under water stress. Disease control was best in sandy soil and least in clay loam. The implications of these results, for the antifungal efficacy of carbendazim under diverse soil conditions, are discussed.     

Herbicide Effects on Sugarcane Growth, Pythium Root Rot, and Pythium arrhenomanes

ABSTRACT Six herbicides were evaluated for their effects on Pythium root rot and growth of sugarcane in greenhouse experiments and on in vitro mycelial growth rate of Pythium arrhenomanes. Pendimethalin and atrazine were most inhibitory to mycelial growth, but neither reduced root rot severity. Asulam, atrazine, and metribuzin were not phytotoxic to sugarcane and did not affect root rot symptom severity in clay loam or silt loam field soils. Atrazine and metribuzin increased shoot number, and atrazine increased total shoot weight for treated plants in silt loam soil. Glyphosate, pendimethalin, and terbacil were phytotoxic to sugarcane. These herbicides increased root rot severity, but the extent to which growth reductions resulted from increased disease severity or from direct herbicide injury was not clear. Adverse effects on plant growth and root rot severity were greater in clay loam than in silt loam soil. The results suggest that sugarcane injury from some herbicides is compounded by increased severity of root rot.     

Characteristics and mineralogy of desert alluvial soils: Wadi Zegrir,Northern Sahara of Algeria

Few studies on the characteristics and mineralogical trends of the soils in the Sahara Desert have been reported in the literature. This work aims at studying the morphology, the classification, and the mineralogy of desert alluvial soils of the Mzab region in the Northern Sahara, Algeria. Morphological and analytical studies carried out on fourteen pedons of wadi Zegrir over a range of elevations (250–850?m) indicate that the soils are sandy to silty clay, nonsaline (electrical conductivity, EC?相似文献   

Time effect on bentazone sorption and degradation in soil

Previous sorption/desorption batch experiments have indicated that bentazone is weakly sorbed by soils. In addition, field experiments have shown that 4% of the bentazone sprayed can be leached to drainage water. In order to complete bentazone characterisation, we have assessed the effect of time on its behaviour in contrasting soils. In laboratory studies, bentazone was added to three topsoils (sandy, loamy and clay soils). Bentazone degradation, sorption/desorption kinetics and isotherm measurements were carried out at different times. At 160 days after treatment, bentazone mineralisation amounts varied from 2.1% (sandy soil) to 14% (clay soil). The extractable amounts became lower (from 97% after treatment to 12% after 160 days for the clay soil) and a greater number of desorption series was needed to obtain these products. Nevertheless, at the end of the experiments, a small amount of bentazone was still extracted by water. At the same time, bound residues of bentazone reached 65% in clay soil. Statistical analysis indicated effects of both residence time and soil type on bentazone behaviour.     

Extraction of oospores of Peronospora viciae from soil

A method for the extraction of oospores of Peronospora viciae from soil is described. Approximately 75% of the oospores added to silty clay loam and loamy sand soil samples were recovered. Percentage recovery was independent of oospore density. This extraction method did not affect viability as determined by the tetrazolium bromide test and a germination assay and may therefore be used to study survival of oospores. Numbers of oospores extracted from soil samples taken from seven fields naturally infested with oospores of P. viciae f.sp. pisi ranged from 2 to 21 oospores per g soil. Oospore density was not significantly correlated with disease incidence as determined by a bioassay.     

Soil Fertility Variability and Constraints on Village Scale Transects in Northern Burkina Faso

Soil variability has a profound impact on crop yields in low-input agriculture. The objectives of this study were to examine soil fertility variability and to identify potential soil constraints relating to farmers' conditions for agricultural production in the Sahelian zone of northern Burkina Faso. Surface soil (0-20 cm) and subsoil (20-100 cm) were sampled from 25 pedons on village-scale transects embracing three genetic soil units: two generations of sandy dune soils showing incipient development; a complex unit of clayey pediplain soils with duplex properties showing both alkaline and acid subsoil reaction; and hydromorphic, clayey valley bottom soils. Particle size distribution, pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable base cations and acidity, soluble base cations, organic carbon, nitrogen, total and available phosphorus, moisture constants, and bulk density were determined. Contents of organic carbon, total nitrogen, total and available phosphorus,and exchangeable potassium are low in all soils and are presumably major constraints.The sodium influenced clayey soils show high absolute variability; properties that vary are subsoil clay (5.8-38.5%), pH (5.8-10.0), cation exchange capacity (4.49-24.81 cmolc kg1), exchangeable sodium percentage (0-26), as well as electrical conductivity, structure, consistency, and available water holding capacity. The sandy soils are homogeneous and not as acid as elsewhere in the Sahel, presumably due to a dust influx. The soil fertility is generally low but highly variable, implying that constraints within production units may consist of multiple com binations of adverse chemical and physical properties, conceptually consistent with the low and variable millet yields. The variability also implies that soil character ization depends on the design of soil sampling, that average values are of doubtful use, that application of chemical fertilizers will produce very different results, and that there is no general scheme for correcting soil fertility. The application of lives tock manure will continue to be the best strategy for sustaining soil productivity.     

Limited survival of Ralstonia solanacearum Race 3 in bulk soils and composts from Egypt

Survival of Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 (phylotype II sequevar 1) in Egyptian soils and compost was studied under laboratory and field conditions. Survival of the pathogen under laboratory conditions varied with temperature, water potential and soil type, with temperature being the major determinant of survival of the pathogen. The effects of temperature and moisture content were variable between different experiments, but survival was generally longer at 15°C than at 4, 28 and 35°C respectively. Survival was also longer when moisture levels were constant compared with varying moisture levels at all temperatures. In experiments to compare the effects of progressive drying in sandy and clay soils there was a difference in survival times between the two soil types. In sandy soils, the pathogen died out more rapidly when soil was allowed to dry out than in controls where the soil was kept at constant water potential. In clay soils there was little difference between the two treatments, possibly due to the formation of a hard impermeable outer layer during the drying process, which retarded water loss from within. Survival in mature composts at 15°C was of the same order of magnitude as in soils but shorter at 28°C, possibly owing to increased biological activity at this temperature, or a resumption of the composting process, with concomitant higher temperatures within the compost itself. The maximum survival time recorded over all soil types and conditions during in vitro studies was around 200 days. In field studies, the maximum survival time in both bare sand and clay was around 85 days at depths up to 50 cm. The survival time was reduced in field experiments carried out in summer to less than 40 days and in one study when the ground was flooded for rice cultivation, the bacterium could not be detected 14 days after flooding. The maximum survival time of R. solanacearum in infected plant material or in infested soil samples incorporated into compost heaps was less than 2 weeks. At the culmination of field soil and compost experiments, no infection was detected in tomato seedlings up to 10 weeks after transplanting into the same soils or composts under glasshouse conditions at a temperature of 25°C.     

Quantification of Cylindrocarpon destructans f. sp. panacis in soils by real-time PCR

Ginseng ( Panax quinquefolius ) is an important cash crop in various regions of North America, but yields are often reduced by various root pathogens. A quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for Cylindrocarpon destructans f. sp. panacis (CDP), the cause of a root rot and replant disease which discourages successive cropping of ginseng on the same site, was developed to quantify the levels of this pathogen in soils previously cropped with ginseng. DNA was extracted from 5-g samples of soil. In pasteurized soils which were re-infested with varying levels of the pathogen, qPCR estimates of pathogen DNA were significantly correlated with disease severity ( r  = 0·494) and with counts of colony-forming units ( r  = 0·620) obtained with an agar medium. In several naturally infested field soils, qPCR estimates of CDP-DNA concentration were significantly correlated with disease severity ( r  = 0·765) and these concentrations were estimated to range from 0 to 1·48 ng g⁻¹ dried soil. A principal components analysis did not show any strong relationships between soil chemistry factors and the concentration of pathogen DNA. The approach outlined here allows the quantification of current populations of CDP in soil many years after ginseng cultivation and the prediction of disease severity in future crops. The method should be generally applicable to root diseases of many crops.     

FACTORS AFFECTING THE LOSS OF TRI-ALLATE FROM SOILS

Summary. Electron-capture gas chromatography was used to detect tri-allate residues in persistence studies with two soils. At rates equivalent to 0–75, 15 and 3 Ib/ac, 50% of the amount applied was degraded in 8–11 weeks at 25°C in moist Regina heavy clay and Weyburn loam. No loss occurred in sterile soils, indicating that microbial degradation may be a, major factor contributing to tri-allate breakdown.
When aqueous solutions buffered at pH 4–8 were held at 25° G, only 10–15% of the tri-allate was chemically degraded during 24 weeks.
At the normal field rate of 1·25 Ib/ac, tri-allate was not readily leached. From soil columns of Weyburn loam, 5–7% was eluted by 9 in. of water; with clay the corresponding value was 12–13% of the amount applied. When field plots were sprayed with 125 lb/ac in April, tri-allate could still be detected until the soil froze in November.
Facteurs agissant sur la perte de tri-allate dans les sots     

Soil management in a mountain agroecosystem and clubroot disease

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is a disease limiting the production of Brassica species. Its severity varies according to the density of the pathogen's resting spores and environmental conditions. Although the soil environment (including its physical, chemical and biological characteristics) is determinant in the development of the disease, little is known regarding these characteristics in tropical regions, such as Brazil. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between soil attributes, bacterial population composition and clubroot intensity in a tropical mountain agroecosystem. Soil and plant samples were collected from 17 cauliflower-producing localities in Nova Friburgo, Brazil. The physical and chemical attributes, the bacterial population composition, the number of pathogen resting spores in the soil samples, and the clubroot severity were evaluated. Based on bacterial population composition, two distinct groups of soils were identified, which varied in attributes such as organic matter, potential acidity, pH and disease severity. The organic matter level was associated with differences in soil acidity, bacterial population composition and disease intensity, but there was not a cause and effect relationship between bacterial population composition and clubroot severity. Under the conditions of this agroecosystem, soils with increased organic matter presented higher acidity potential (H + Al), which was strongly correlated to clubroot severity. Thus, high acidity potential could be a key factor leading to clubroot development in mountain regions of Brazil.     

Soybean Brown Stem Rot, Phytophthora sojae, and Heterodera glycines Affected by Soil Texture and Tillage Relations

ABSTRACT Investigations were conducted to determine whether the effects of tillage practices on the prevalence of brown stem rot of soybean (caused by Phialophora gregata), Heterodera glycines, and Phytophthora sojae were confounded by soil texture in samples collected in the fall of 1995 and 1996. Soil and soybean stem samples, along with tillage information, were collected from 1,462 randomly selected fields in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio in collaboration with the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The incidence of brown stem rot was determined from 20 soybean stem pieces collected from each field in a zigzag pattern. The detection frequency of P. sojae (expressed as percent leaf disks colonized) and population densities of H. glycines were determined from soil cores also collected in a zigzag pattern. The soil samples were grouped into various textural classes, and the effect of soil texture and tillage relations on the activities of each pathogen were determined. Both tillage and soil texture affected the incidence of brown stem rot; however, there was no interaction between tillage and soil texture. Conservation tillage had a greater (P < 0.05) incidence of brown stem rot in clay loam and silty clay loam than did conventional tillage. The detection frequency of P. sojae was not affected by tillage, but a tillage x texture interaction (P = 0.013) indicated that the effect of tillage depended on soil texture. There was a greater (P < 0.05) detection frequency of P. sojae in conservation tillage than in conventional tillage in silt loam and loam soils. However, in sandy loam, the detection frequency of P. sojae was greater (P = 0.0099) in conventional tillage than in conservation tillage. Population densities of H. glycines were significantly affected by both tillage and soil texture, but overall, there was no tillage x texture interaction. There was an inverse relationship between population densities of H. glycines and percent clay (r = -0.81, P = 0.01) in no-till fields, but little or no change in nematode densities was observed with increasing clay content in tilled fields. Population densities of H. glycines were less (P < 0.05) in no-till fields than in tilled fields in silty clay loam and clay soils. There was no difference in H. glycines densities between the tillage categories in soils sandier than silty clay loam or clay. The findings emphasize the need for cautious interpretation of the effects of tillage practices on diseases and pathogens in the absence of information on soil texture.     

Temporal Progression of Bean Common Bacterial Blight (Xanthomonas Campestris pv. phaseoli) in Sole and Intercropping Systems

The effects of four planting patterns of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) (bean only, maize–bean (MB), sorghum–bean (SB), and maize–bean–sorghum (MBS)) and four cropping systems (sole cropping, row, mixed, and broadcast intercropping) on the temporal epidemics of bean common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli were studied. The experiments were conducted during two consecutive spring and summer seasons in 1999 and 2000 in replicated field experiments. The Gompertz model described disease progress curves better than the logistic model. Intercropping delayed epidemic onset, lowered disease incidence and severity, and reduced the disease progress rate. The type of cropping system and planting pattern affected CBB incidence and severity at initial, final and overall assessments and also affected the rate of disease development. Statistical significance of treatment interactions based on disease assessments was found for incidence in all four experiments and for severity in three experiments. A slower disease progress rate and lower incidence and severity occurred on beans planted with maize or sorghum in row, mixed and broadcast intercropping than on bean planted alone. Incidence was reduced 36% and severity 20% in intercropping compared to sole cropping. The built-in disease delay and the slowing of the disease progress rate could provide protection for beans from severe CBB epidemics in intercropped systems. Variation between years appeared to be related to relative humidity (RH).