Nonphytotoxic Aluminum-Peat Complexes Suppress Phytophthora parasitica

ABSTRACT Amendment of peat-based potting media with Al(2)(SO(4))(3) suppresses damping-off of Vinca (Catharanthus roseus) caused by Phytophthora parasitica. The species of aluminum (Al) responsible for disease suppression have not been identified. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of amount and pH of Al(2)(SO(4))(3) amendment solutions on survival of P. parasitica. In separate experiments, peat was amended with Al(2)(SO(4))(3) solutions adjusted to pH 4 or 6 at either 0.0158 or 0.0079 g of Al per gram of peat. Amended peat was placed in Büchner funnels maintained at -2.5 kPa matric potential. Peat was infested with P. parasitica by placing zero, two, or five colonized Vinca leaf disks in each funnel, and 15 Vinca seeds were placed in each funnel. After 24 h, the matric potential was brought to 0 kPa to induce zoospore release and returned to -2.5 kPa after 24 h. Pathogen populations and stand counts were assessed after 2-week incubation. Al amendment solutions at both pH 4 and 6 reduced pathogen populations at 0.0158 g of Al per gram of peat. Solutions at pH 4 reduced pathogen populations by more than 90% at both inoculum levels; amendment solutions at pH 6 reduced populations by 95% at the low inoculum level and 65% at the high inoculum level. The prevalence of Al(OH)(2)(+) in peat amended with Al(2)(SO(4))(3) solution at pH 6 suggests that ions other than Al(3+) may be responsible for pathogen suppression. Based on the difference in chemical conditions of Al-amended peat and suppressive mineral soils, the mechanism of Al-mediated suppression of plant pathogens is speculated to be different in the two systems. Peat containing Al-peat complexes was chemically suppressive to P. parasitica and may confer Al-mediated suppression of plant pathogens with a nonphytotoxic form of Al.     

Suppression of Rhizoctonia solani on Impatiens by Enhanced Microbial Activity in Composted Swine Waste-Amended Potting Mixes

ABSTRACT Peat moss-based potting mix was amended with either of two composted swine wastes, CSW1 and CSW2, at rates from 4 to 20% (vol/vol) to evaluate suppression of pre-emergence damping-off of impatiens (Impatiens balsamina) caused by Rhizoctonia solani (anastomosis group-4). A cucumber bioassay was used prior to each impatiens experiment to monitor maturity of compost as the compost aged in a curing pile by evaluating disease suppression toward both Pythium ultimum and R. solani. At 16, 24, 32, and 37 weeks after composting, plug trays filled with compost-amended potting mix were seeded with impatiens and infested with R. solani to determine suppression of damping-off. Pre-emergence damping-off was lower for impatiens grown in potting mix amended with 20% CSW1 than in CSW2-amended and nonamended mixes. To identify relationships between disease suppression and microbial parameters, samples of mixes were collected to determine microbial activity, biomass carbon and nitrogen, functional diversity, and population density. Higher rates of microbial activity were observed with increasing rates of CSW1 amendment than with CSW2 amendments. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen also were higher in CSW1-amended mixes than in CSW2-amended potting mixes 1 day prior to seeding and 5 weeks after seeding. Principal component analysis of Biolog-GN2 profiles showed different functional diversities between CSW1- and CSW2-amended mixes. Furthermore, mixes amended with CSW1 had higher colony forming units of fungi, endospore-forming bacteria, and oligotrophic bacteria. Our results suggest that enhanced microbial activity, functional and population diversity of stable compost-amended mix were associated with suppressiveness to Rhizoctonia damping-off in impatiens.     

Differential Sensitivity of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae and Thielaviopsis basicola to Monomeric Aluminum Species

ABSTRACT Aluminum (Al) is toxic to many plant pathogens, including Thielaviopsis basicola and Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae. Because fungi-toxicity of Al has been described in soils over a wide pH range, multiple species of Al may be responsible for pathogen suppression. The goals of this work were to determine the sensitivity of T. basicola and P. para-sitica var. nicotianae to Al over a range of pH values, quantify the toxicity of monomeric Al species to production of sporangia of P. parasitica var. nicotianae and chlamydospores of T. basicola, and detect the accumulation of Al in pathogen structures. A complete factorial treatment design was used with Al levels ranging from 0 to 100 muM and pH levels ranging from 4 to 6 in a minimal salts medium. The chemistry of test solutions was modeled using GEOCHEM-PC. Colonies were grown in 5% carrot broth, and after 1 or 2 days, the nutrient solution was removed, colonies were rinsed with water, and Al test solutions were added to each of four replicate plates. After 2 days, propagules were counted and colonies were stained with the Al-specific, fluorescent stain lumogallion. The oomycete P. parasitica var. nicotianae was sensitive to multiple monomeric Al species, whereas sensitivity of T. basicola to Al was pH-dependent, suggesting that only Al(3+) is responsible for suppression of this fungal pathogen. Chlamydospore production by T. basicola was inhibited at pH values <5.0 and Al levels >20 muM, whereas sporangia production by P. parasitica was inhibited at Al levels as low as 2 muM across all pH values tested. The lumogallion stain was an effective technique for detection of Al in fungal tissues. Aluminum accumulated in sporangia and zoospores of P. parasitica var. nicotianae and in nonmelanized chlamy-dospores of T. basicola, but not in cell walls of either organism. The differential sensitivity of the two organisms may indicate that true fungi respond differently to Al than members of the oomycota, which are more closely related to plants.     

A method for measuring the level of sensitivity of Plasmopara viticola populations to cymoxanil

A leaf-disk bioassay was developed for monitoring the level of sensitivity of Plasmopara viticola populations to the fungicide cymoxanil. Grapevine leaf disks were treated with various concentrations of fungicide and inoculated one day later with a suspension of P. viticola sporangia. Fungal inhibition was strongest when the leaf disks had their upper side in contact with the fungicide solution and were sprayed on the other side with the same solution. The dose response was influenced by the level of disease on the untreated leaf disks and the date of evaluation which required standardization. Test-to-test variation was small but differences existed between laboratories where the assay was performed. There was good agreement between the results obtained in the leaf-disk assay and those of a whole-plant assay.     

Suppression of Phytophthora cinnamomi in Potting Mixes Amended with Uncomposted and Composted Animal Manures

ABSTRACT We examined the effects of fresh and composted animal manures on the development of root rot, dieback, and plant death caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. Fresh chicken manure, or chicken manure composted for 5 weeks before incorporation into the potting mix (25%, vol/vol), significantly reduced pathogen survival and the development of symptoms on Lupinus albus seedlings. Chicken manure composted for 2 weeks was less suppressive. Cow, sheep, and horse manure, whether fresh or composted, did not consistently suppress populations of P. cinnamomi or disease symptoms at the rates used (25%, vol/vol). All composts increased organic matter content, total biological activity, and populations of actinomycetes, fluorescent pseudomonads, and fungi. Only chicken manure stimulated endospore-forming bacteria, a factor that was strongly associated with seedling survival. Fallowing the potting mix for an additional 8 weeks after the first harvest increased the survival of lupin seedlings in a second bioassay, with survival rates in chicken manure compost-amended potting mix exceeding 90%. These data suggest that the ability of composted manure to stimulate sustained biological activity, in particular the activity of endospore-forming bacteria, is the key factor in reducing disease symptoms caused by P. cinnamomi. Supporting these results, the survival of rooted cuttings of Thryptomene calycina was significantly higher in sand-peat potting mix following amendment with commercially available chicken manure (15% vol/vol). However, this protection was reduced if the potting mix was steam pasteurized before amendment, indicating that suppression was due to endogenous as well as introduced microbes. Chicken manure compost incorporated at 5% (vol/vol) or more was strongly phytotoxic to young Banksia spinulosa plants and is not suitable as an amendment for phosphorus-sensitive plants.     

Survival of Phytophthora meadii in Sri Lankan soils

In laboratory tests, mycelium and sporangia of Phytophthora meadii survived in soil for about 3 weeks, whereas chlamydospores survived for 12 weeks. When petioles of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) colonized by P. meadii were buried in soil, chlamydospores formed in the tissues after about 2 weeks and P. meadii could be reisolated up to 22 weeks after burial. Colonized petioles buried in soil in a rubber plantation decayed more rapidly than those in laboratory tests, and attempts to reisolate P. meadii after 18 weeks were unsuccessful, although chlamydospores were still visible. P. meadii was isolated most readily from soil in a rubber plantation during epidemics of pod and leaf disease, suggesting that sporangia from these sources maintained soil inoculum at a high level. Inoculum detected in soil before pod and leaf infection may have arisen from subclinical infections or from chlamydospores surviving in petioles from the previous season.     

Calcium Interference with Zoospore Biology and Infectivity of Phytophthora parasitica in Nutrient Irrigation Solutions

ABSTRACT Calcium, applied as either CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2 to water or calcium-free soluble fertilizer solution (Peters 20-10-20 Peat Lite Special), affected several important stages of Phytophthora parasitica zoospore behavior relevant to infection and disease spread. Release of zoospores from sporangia was suppressed by Ca(2+) concentrations in the range of 10 to 50 meq. These concentrations also curtailed zoospore motility; 20 meq of Ca(2+) in fertilizer solution caused all zoospores to encyst within 4 h, whereas 94% of zoospores remained motile in unamended solution. In addition, Ca(2+) in the range of 10 to 30 meq stimulated zoospore cysts to germinate in the absence of an organic nutrient trigger, while suppressing the release of a single zoospore (diplanetism) from cysts that did not germinate. In growth chamber experiments, the amendment of the fertilizer solution with 10 or 20 mM Ca(NO3)2 greatly suppressed infection of flood-irrigated, containerized vinca seedlings in a peat-based mix by motile or encysted zoospores of P. parasitica. These results demonstrate that Ca(2+) amendments interfere with P. parasitica zoospore biology at multiple stages, with compounding effects on epidemiology, and suggest that manipulation of Ca(2+) levels in irrigation water or fertilizer solutions could contribute to management of Phytophthora in recirculating irrigation systems.     

Microbial-induced carbon competition in the spermosphere leads to pathogen and disease suppression in a municipal biosolids compost

The aim of this study was to understand whether competition for fatty acids in plant seed exudates by compost-derived seed-colonizing microbial communities could explain the suppression of plant infections initiated by sporangia of Pythium ultimum. The germination behavior of P. ultimum sporangia in response to cucumber seeds was measured to determine the impact of seed-colonizing microbes on pathogen suppression. Seed-colonizing microbial communities from municipal biosolids compost utilized cucumber seed exudates and linoleic acid in vitro, reducing the respective stimulatory activity of these elicitors to P. ultimum sporangial germination. However, when sporangia were observed directly in the spermosphere of seeds sown in the compost medium, levels of germination and sporangial emptying did not differ from the responses in sand. The percentage of aborted germ tubes was greater after incubating sporangia in compost medium for 12-h than the level of germ tube abortion when sporangia were incubated in sand. Abortion did not occur if previously germinated sporangia were supplemented with cucumber seed exudate. Furthermore, removal of cucumber seed exudate after various stages of germ tube emergence resulted in an increase in aborted germ tubes over time. Adding increasing levels of glucose directly to the compost medium alleviated germ tube abortion in the spermosphere and also eliminated disease suppression. These data fail to support a role for linoleic acid competition in Pythium seedling disease suppression but provide evidence for general carbon competition mediated by seed-colonizing microbial communities as a mechanism for the suppression of Pythium seed infections in municipal biosolids compost.     

稻苗疫霉游动孢子生物学的研究

 用自然发病的材料进行产孢试验,漂浮在水面上的病叶孢子囊产生最多。孢子囊产生的适宜温度在15-25℃,介质的pH位在5-7,黑暗条件有利于孢子囊的产生。     

Cytological aspects of compost-mediated induced resistance against fusarium crown and root rot in tomato

ABSTRACT The potential of a pulp and paper mill residues compost for the control of crown and root rot of greenhouse-grown tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici was ultrastructurally investigated. Peat moss amended with compost substantially reduced disease-associated symptoms. Addition of Pythium oligandrum to either peat moss alone or peat moss amended with compost resulted in a considerable reduction in disease incidence compared with controls grown in peat moss alone. Histological and cytological observations of root samples from Fusarium-inoculated plants revealed that the beneficial effect of compost in reducing disease symptoms is associated with increased plant resistance to fungal colonization. One of the most prominent facets of compost-mediated induced resistance concerned the formation of physical barriers at sites of attempted fungal penetration. These structures, likely laid down to prevent pathogen ingress toward the vascular elements, included callose-enriched wall appositions and osmiophilic deposits around the sites of potential pathogen ingress. Invading hyphae, coated by the osmiophilic material, showed marked cellular disorganization. The use of the wheat germ agglutinin-ovomucoid-gold complex provided evidence that the wall-bound chitin was altered in severely damaged hyphae. A substantial increase in the extent and magnitude of the cellular changes induced by compost was observed when P. oligandrum was supplied to the potting substrate. This finding corroborates the current concept that amendment of composts with specific antagonists may be a valuable option for amplifying their beneficial properties in terms of plant disease suppression.     

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.     

番茄叶霉病菌产毒条件研究

为了使番茄叶霉病菌（Cladosporium fulvum Cooke）的产毒条件达到最优化,本试验研究了番茄叶霉病菌产毒能力与培养条件、环境因子等因素的关系。结果表明：不同产毒条件下病菌产毒能力存在明显差异,最佳产毒条件是：采用pH为6的PS液体培养基在26~30 ℃、黑暗条件下,振荡培养21 d,接菌数量5碟。     

Survival of Phytophthora ramorum in Rhododendron root balls and in rootless substrates

This study assesses the survival of Phytophthora ramorum in the root ball of Rhododendron container plants as well as in different rootless forest substrates and a horticultural potting medium. Following inoculation of the root balls, the aboveground plant parts stayed symptomless, whilst the pathogen could be recovered with a novel non‐destructive baiting assay from the root balls until at least 8 months post‐inoculation. Plating of surface‐sterilized roots and direct microscopic analysis confirmed the presence of P. ramorum in the roots. Phytophthora ramorum could also be baited from the root balls of symptomless Rhododendron plants from commercial nurseries, even 2 years after acquisition. Survival of P. ramorum in rootless media was assessed after burying disks of infected leaf material below the soil surface in columns filled with four different undisturbed forest substrates or a potting medium, and incubated at an outdoor quarantine facility. Phytophthora ramorum could be recovered at least 33 months after burial from all substrates, with a significant increase in recovery after the winter period. These data suggest the possibility for long‐term symptomless presence of P. ramorum in root balls of commercial Rhododendron plants as well as survival in potting medium and different forest substrates under western European climate conditions. Symptomless presence in root balls can contribute to latent spread of this pathogen between nurseries. The novel baiting test, being non‐destructive, simple and applicable to a relatively large number of plants, can offer a valuable tool to test plants for the presence of Phytophthora species in root balls.     

烯酰吗啉对我国烟草黑胫病菌的毒力研究

从山东和云南烟区采集分离了20个烟草黑胫病菌Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae菌株,采用菌丝生长速率法测定了烯酰吗啉对这些菌株的毒力。结果表明:20个田间菌 株的EC50值在0.60~1.28 μg/mL之间,与实验室保存的敏感菌株(S)的EC50 值(0.32 μg/mL) 相比,毒力倍数在1.87~4.00之间,均属于敏感菌株。烯酰吗啉对烟草黑胫病菌孢子囊的产生有明显的抑制作用,8.00 μg/mL的烯酰吗啉对孢子囊产生的抑制率为100％。通过烯酰吗啉对烟草黑胫病菌继代培养物的毒力比较证明,烟草黑胫病菌对烯酰吗啉存在抗性风险。     

Arabidopsis thaliana resistance to insects, mediated by an earthworm-produced organic soil amendment

BACKGROUND: Vermicompost is an organic soil amendment produced by earthworm digestion of organic waste. Studies show that plants grown in soil amended with vermicompost grow faster, are more productive and are less susceptible to a number of arthropod pests. In light of these studies, the present study was designed to determine the type of insect resistance (antixenosis or antibiosis) present in plants grown in vermicompost‐amended potting soil. Additionally, the potential role of microarthropods, entomopathogenic organisms and non‐pathogenic microbial flora found in vermicompost on insect resistance induction was investigated. RESULTS: Findings show that vermicompost from two different sources (Raleigh, North Carolina, and Portland, Oregon) were both effective in causing Arabidopsis plants to be resistant to the generalist herbivore Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). However, while the Raleigh (Ral) vermicompost plant resistance was expressed as both non‐preference (antixenosis) and milder (lower weight and slower development) toxic effect (antibiosis) resistance, Oregon (OSC) vermicompost plant resistance was expressed as acute antibiosis, resulting in lower weights and higher mortality rates. CONCLUSION: Vermicompost causes plants to have non‐preference (antixenosis) and toxic (antibiosis) effects on insects. This resistance affects insect development and survival on plants grown in vermicompost‐amended soil. Microarthropods and entomopathogens do not appear to have a role in the resistance, but it is likely that resistance is due to interactions between the microbial communities in vermicompost with plant roots, as is evident from vermicompost sterilization assays conducted in this study. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biological control of fusarium wilt of cucumber by chitinolytic bacteria

ABSTRACT Two chitinolytic bacterial strains, Paenibacillus sp. 300 and Streptomyces sp. 385, suppressed Fusarium wilt of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum in nonsterile, soilless potting medium. A mixture of the two strains in a ratio of 1:1 or 4:1 gave significantly (P < 0.05) better control of the disease than each of the strains used individually or than mixtures in other ratios. Several formulations were tested, and a zeolite-based, chitosan-amended formulation (ZAC) provided the best protection against the disease. Dose-response studies indicated that the threshold dose of 6 g of formulation per kilogram of potting medium was required for significant (P < 0.001) suppression of the disease. This dose was optimum for maintaining high rhizosphere population densities of chitinolytic bacteria (log 8.1 to log 9.3 CFU/g dry weight of potting medium), which were required for the control of Fusarium wilt. The ZAC formulation was suppressive when added to pathogen-infested medium 15 days before planting cucumber seeds. The formulation also provided good control when stored for 6 months at room temperature or at 4 degrees C. Chitinase and beta-1,3-glucanase enzymes were produced when the strains were grown in the presence of colloidal chitin as the sole carbon source. Partial purification of the chitinases, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and activity staining, revealed the presence of five bands with molecular masses of 65, 62, 59, 55, and 52 kDa in the case of Paenibacillus sp. 300; and three bands with molecular masses of 52, 38, and 33 kDa in the case of Streptomyces sp. 385. Incubation of cell walls of F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum with partially purified enzyme fractions led to the release of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAGA). NAGA content was considerably greater when pooled enzyme fractions (64 to 67) from Paenibacillus sp. were used, because they contained high beta-1,3-glucanase activity in addition to chitinase activity. Suppression of Fusarium wilt of cucumber by a combination of these two bacteria may involve the action of these hydrolytic enzymes.     

Characterization of the Suppressiveness of Hairy Vetch-Amended Soils to Thielaviopsis basicola

ABSTRACT Factor(s) involved in soil suppressiveness to Thielaviopsis basicola when hairy vetch was used as a green manure were studied in a cotton production system. Soil suppressiveness was assessed in vitro at hairy vetch amendment levels of 0, 0.25, and 0.75% (wt/wt) by observing chlamydospores, using a nylon fabric technique. Chlamydospore germination in all soils was below 5%, and microscopic examination showed no germ tube lysis or visible propagule destruction. Viability (chlamydospore germination on T. basicola-carrot-etridiazol-nystatin [TB-CEN] medium) was reduced by 29% within 48 h after hairy vetch amendment. Viability also was reduced in atmospheres of amended soils, suggesting that the suppressiveness was due to a volatile factor. In a field study, chlamydospore viability in amended soils was reduced by 16%. T. basicola hyphal growth was more sensitive to ammonia than Rhizoctonia solani or Pythium ultimum, and chlamydospore mortality of T. basicola was 100% in petri dish atmospheres with 0.4 ppm of ammonia (50% lethal dose = 0.15 ppm). Soil atmospheric ammonia was 0.08 and 0.10 ppm for 0.25 and 0.75% amendment levels, respectively, both at 3 and 7 days after incorporation. In the field, 0.11 and 0.14 ppm of ammonia were detected in soil atmospheres 3 and 7 days after incorporation, respectively. The levels of ammonia detected were sufficient to account for the loss in T. basicola chlamydospore viability, indicating that ammonia is responsible for the suppressiveness observed.     

Effect of anaerobic soil disinfestation amendment type and C:N ratio on Cyperus esculentus tuber sprouting,growth and reproduction

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a cultural technique primarily targeted for control of soilborne plant pathogens, but can also impact weed propagules. A repeated pot study was conducted to evaluate ASD treatment impact on sprouting and growth of introduced Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge) tubers using dry molasses‐based and wheat bran‐based amendment mixtures at four carbon‐to‐nitrogen (C:N) ratios (from 10:1 to 40:1) and compared with a non‐amended control. The mean percentage of sprouted tubers recovered after ASD treatment was lower for wheat bran‐based (42%) than dry molasses‐based (65%) amendments, and tuber production was 1.6‐fold higher in dry molasses‐based than wheat bran‐based treatments. The highest percentage of sprouted tubers (79%) and the highest mean production of large tubers (threefold higher than wheat bran‐based and 1.7‐fold higher than molasses‐based amendments) were observed for the non‐amended control. Tuber sprouting was significantly lower from all ASD treatments (regardless of amendment C:N ratio) compared with the non‐amended control at a 15 cm burial depth. New tuber production was lowest at C:N ratios of 10:1 and 20:1 and more than twofold higher in the non‐amended control. Wheat bran‐based amendments reduced above‐ground C. esculentus biomass compared with the non‐amended control and ASD treatments with molasses‐based amendments, and reduced below‐ground biomass compared with molasses‐based amendments. Above‐ground biomass was highest at amendment C:N ratio of 10:1, and below‐ground biomass was highest at amendment C:N ratio of 40:1 and the non‐amended control. ASD treatment with wheat bran‐based amendments at lower C:N ratios reduced tuber sprouting and reproduction compared with the non‐amended control, but not at rates high enough to use as a primary weed management tactic.     

Incorporation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica seed meal</Emphasis> soil amendment and wheat cultivation for control of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrophomina phaseolina</Emphasis> in strawberry

Macrophomina. phaseolina is the cause of charcoal rot, a disease of emerging importance in strawberry production systems. Brassicaceae seed meals (SM) and prior cultivation of soils with wheat were evaluated for the capacity to suppress charcoal rot of strawberry and to determine the relative contribution of seed meal derived chemistry and soil biology in disease control. Brassicaceae seed meal amendments suppressed the abundance of M. phaseolina detected in soil systems, but optimal SM-induced pathogen suppression required a functional soil biology. Suppression of M. phaseolina was obtained with SM sourced from various Brassicaceae species and was not associated with a biologically active chemistry such as that generated by Brassica juncea SM amendment (e.g. allyl isothiocyanate). Disease control observed in natural soil was abolished when SM amended soils were pasteurized prior to infestation with M. phaseolina, suggesting a functional role of soil biology in disease suppression that was observed. Cultivation of soils with wheat prior to pathogen infestation resulted in a level of disease control superior to SM amendment, however no additive effect on disease suppression was observed with integration of the two treatments. In small scale field trials, SM amendment induced phytotoxicity was observed and may have contributed to a lack of apparent control of charcoal rot. In the same trials, significant weed control was achieved in response to SM amendment. Across trials conducted in controlled and field environments there has been a lack of consistent association between the effect of SM amendment or wheat cultivation on M. phaseolina soil density and resulting level of root infection. This suggests that the observed disease control may have a greater dependence upon microbial interactions that transpire in the rhizosphere than that which occurs in the bulk soil environment.     

Induction of Soil Suppressiveness Against Rhizoctonia solani by Incorporation of Dried Plant Residues into Soil

ABSTRACT Suppressive effects of soil amendment with residues of 12 cultivars of Brassica rapa on damping-off of sugar beet were evaluated in soils infested with Rhizoctonia solani. Residues of clover and peanut were tested as noncruciferous controls. The incidence of damping-off was significantly and consistently suppressed in the soils amended with residues of clover, peanut, and B. rapa subsp. rapifera 'Saori', but only the volatile substance produced from water-imbibed residue of cv. Saori exhibited a distinct inhibitory effect on mycelial growth of R. solani. Nonetheless, disease suppression in such residue-amended soils was diminished or nullified when antibacterial antibiotics were applied to the soils, suggesting that proliferation of antagonistic bacteria resident to the soils were responsible for disease suppression. When the seed (pericarps) colonized by R. solani in the infested soil without residues were replanted into the soils amended with such residues, damping-off was suppressed in all cases. In contrast, when seed that had been colonized by microorganisms in the soils containing the residues were replanted into the infested soil, damping-off was not suppressed. The evidence indicates that the laimosphere, but not the spermosphere, is the site for the antagonistic microbial interaction, which is the chief principle of soil suppressiveness against Rhizoctonia damping-off.