Eradication of plant pathogens and nematodes during composting: a review

The effects of temperature–time combinations and other sanitizing factors during composting on 64 plant pathogenic fungi, plasmodiophoromycetes, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses and nematodes were reviewed. In most cases pathogen survival was determined by bioassays of unknown sensitivity and minimum detection limits of 5% infection or more. For 33 out of 38 fungal and oomycete pathogens, all seven bacterial pathogens and nine nematodes, and three out of nine plant viruses, a peak temperature of 64–70°C and duration of 21 days, were sufficient to reduce numbers to below the detection limits of the tests used. Shorter periods and/or lower temperatures than those quoted in these tests may be satisfactory for eradication, but they were not always examined in detail in composting systems. Plasmodiophora brassicae (clubroot of Brassica spp.), Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (tomato wilt) and Macrophomina phaseolina (dry root rot) were more temperature-tolerant, as they survived a peak compost temperature of at least 62°C (maximum 74°C) and a composting duration of 21 days. Synchytrium endobioticum (potato wart disease) survived in water at 60°C for 2 h, but was not examined in compost. For Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), peak compost temperatures in excess of 68°C and composting for longer than 20 days were needed to reduce numbers below detection limits. However, TMV and Tomato mosaic virus (TomMV) were inactivated over time in compost, even at temperatures below 50°C. Temperatures in excess of 60°C were achieved in different composting systems, with a wide range of organic feedstocks. The potential survival of plant pathogens in cooler zones of compost, particularly in systems where the compost is not turned, has not been quantified. This may be an important risk factor in composting plant wastes.     

Sporulation of Pyrenopeziza brassicae (light leaf spot) on oilseed rape (Brassica napus) leaves inoculated with ascospores or conidia at different temperatures and wetness durations

In controlled environment experiments, sporulation of Pyrenopeziza brassicae was observed on leaves of oilseed rape inoculated with ascospores or conidia at temperatures from 8 to 20°C at all leaf wetness durations from 6 to 72 h, except after 6 h leaf wetness duration at 8°C. The shortest times from inoculation to first observed sporulation ( l ₀), for both ascospore and conidial inoculum, were 11–12 days at 16°C after 48 h wetness duration. For both ascospore and conidial inoculum (48 h wetness duration), the number of conidia produced per cm² leaf area with sporulation was seven to eight times less at 20°C than at 8, 12 or 16°C. Values of Gompertz parameters c (maximum percentage leaf area with sporulation), r (maximum rate of increase in percentage leaf area with sporulation) and l ₃₇ (days from inoculation to 37% of maximum sporulation), estimated by fitting the equation to the observed data, were linearly related to values predicted by inserting temperature and wetness duration treatment values into existing equations. The observed data were fitted better by logistic equations than by Gompertz equations (which overestimated at low temperatures). For both ascospore and conidial inoculum, the latent period derived from the logistic equation (days from inoculation to 50% of maximum sporulation, l ₅₀) of P. brassicae was generally shortest at 16°C, and increased as temperature increased to 20°C or decreased to 8°C. Minimum numbers of spores needed to produce sporulation on leaves were ≈25 ascospores per leaf and ≈700 conidia per leaf, at 16°C after 48 h leaf wetness duration.     

Effects of inoculum potential, shading and soil temperature on root infection of oil palm seedlings by the basal stem rot pathogen Ganoderma boninense

Ganoderma boninense causes severe losses to oil palm in South East Asia. The disease typically manifests itself as basal stem rot, but there remains controversy over the route of infection and source of inoculum. Using isolates differing in aggressiveness, infection via roots was confirmed; it was also shown that large inoculum provided as Ganoderma -infested palm- or rubber-wood blocks (12 × 6 × 6 cm) is necessary for soil infection of seedlings after 6–8 months. Smaller blocks (3 × 3 × 3 cm) produced rapid (≤ 3 months) infection of roots and lower stem when physically attached to roots. Therefore fragmentation of infested palm wood from a felled, mature plantation before subsequent replanting may provide inoculum. Failure of G. boninense to grow through non-sterile soil or organic debris from frond bases, suggests it is a poor competitor and that roots must contact inoculum directly. Severe disease occurred after 8 months on inoculated seedlings under shade, but not on seedlings exposed to sun. Soil temperatures in sunlight frequently rose above 40°C and reached 45°C, whereas in shade they never exceeded 32°C. Ganoderma boninense is probably inhibited in exposed soil since optimal growth in vitro was 25–30°C, and there was no recovery from 45°C. Soil temperature may explain why symptoms often first appear in mature plantations when canopy formation creates shade. Infection is not peculiar to senescing palms but can occur throughout the growth cycle.     

Effects of temperature and wetness duration on conidial infection, latent period and asexual sporulation of Pyrenopeziza brassicae on leaves of oilseed rape

Experiments in controlled environments were carried out to determine the effects of temperature and leaf wetness duration on infection of oilseed rape leaves by conidia of the light leaf spot pathogen, Pyrenopeziza brassicae . Visible spore pustules developed on leaves of cv. Bristol inoculated with P. brassicae conidia at temperatures from 4 to 20°C, but not at 24°C; spore pustules developed when the leaf wetness duration after inoculation was longer than or equal to approximately 6 h at 12–20°C, 10 h at 8°C, 16 h at 6°C or 24 h at 4°C. On leaves of cvs. Capricorn or Cobra, light leaf spot symptoms developed at 8 and 16°C when the leaf wetness duration after inoculation was greater than 3 or 24 h, respectively. The latent period (the time period from inoculation to first spore pustules) of P. brassicae on cv. Bristol was, on average, approximately 10 days at 16°C when leaf wetness duration was 24 h, and increased to approximately 12 days as temperature increased to 20°C and to 26 days as temperature decreased to 4°C. At 8°C, an increase in leaf wetness duration from 10 to 72 h decreased the latent period from approximately 25 to 16 days; at 6°C, an increase in leaf wetness duration from 16 to 72 h decreased the latent period from approximately 23 to 17 days. The numbers of conidia produced were greatest at 12–16°C, and decreased as temperature decreased to 8°C or increased to 20°C. At temperatures from 8 to 20°C, an increase in leaf wetness duration from 6 to 24 h increased the production of conidia. There were linear relationships between the number of conidia produced on a leaf and the proportion of the leaf area covered by 'lesions' (both log₁₀-transformed) at different temperatures.     

Effect of soil solarization on the control of Phytophthora root rot in avocado

Phytophthora root rot is of paramount importance in avocado orchards of southern Spain. Soil solarization has been demonstrated to control the pathogen in infested areas from which infected trees had been removed. We aimed to determine whether soil solarization in established avocado orchards controls the disease. Soil solarization increased average maximum hourly soil temperatures by 6.5–6.9°C in unshaded areas of avocado orchards in coastal areas of southern Spain, depending on depth and year. The corresponding temperatures in shaded areas were c. 2–3°C lower. P. cinnamomi in soil, on infected avocado rootlets, and in a nutrient substrate buried at 30–60 cm depth was reduced to negligible amounts after 6–8 weeks of solarization in both unshaded and shaded locations of avocado orchards. P. cinnamomi could not be detected in avocado rootlets up to 14 months later, suggesting a long-term effect. Soil solarization did not affect growth of the trees, and fruit yields were increased as compared with control plots. Following soil solarization for 3 weeks from mid-July 1994, when maximum hourly temperatures reached 33–36°C, P. cinnamomi could not be recovered from a depth of up to 45 cm in unshaded areas or from a depth of up to 30 cm in shaded areas after the initial 10-day period. The viability of inoculum of the pathogen buried at depths between 15 and 60 cm in bare soil was determined by sequential sampling in two solarization experiments starting 12 June and 4 July 1995, respectively. In the first experiment, P. cinnamomi could not be detected at any depth after 4–8 weeks of solarization in unshaded areas but could be recovered at all depths except 15 cm in shaded areas. In the second experiment, where temperatures were higher and the soil surface not shaded, P. cinnamomi could not be recovered after 2 weeks at 15 and 30 cm.     

Potential for eradication of the exotic plant pathogens Phytophthora kernoviae and Phytophthora ramorum during composting

Temperature and exposure time effects on Phytophthora kernoviae and Phytophthora ramorum viability were examined in flasks of compost and in a large‐scale composting system containing plant waste. Cellophane, rhododendron leaf and peat‐based inoculum of P. kernoviae and P. ramorum isolates were used in flasks; naturally infected leaves were inserted into a large‐scale system. Exposures of 5 and 10 days respectively at a mean temperature of 35°C in flask and large‐scale composts reduced P. kernoviae and P. ramorum inocula to below detection limits using semi‐selective culturing. Although P. ramorum was undetectable after a 1‐day exposure of inoculum to compost at 40°C in flasks, it survived on leaves exposed to a mean temperature of 40·9°C for 5 days in a large‐scale composting system. No survival of P. ramorum was detected after exposure of infected leaves for 5 days to a mean temperature of ≥41·9°C (32·8°C for P. kernoviae) or for 10 days at ≥31·8°C (25·9°C for Phytophthora pseudosyringae on infected bilberry stems) in large‐scale systems. Fitted survival probabilities of P. ramorum on infected leaves exposed in a large‐scale system for 5 days at 45°C or for 10 days at 35°C were <3%, for an average initial infection level of leaves of 59·2%. RNA quantification to measure viability was shown to be unreliable in environments that favour RNA preservation: high levels of ITS1 RNA were recovered from P. kernoviae‐ and P. ramorum‐infected leaves exposed to composting plant wastes at >53°C, when all culture results were negative.     

Sorghum ergot can develop without local Claviceps africana inoculum from nearby infected plants

Batches of glasshouse-grown flowering sorghum plants were placed in circular plots for 24 h at two field sites in southeast Queensland, Australia on 38 occasions in 2003 and 2004, to trap aerial inoculum of Claviceps africana. Plants were located 20–200 m from the centre of the plots. Batches of sorghum plants with secondary conidia of C. africana on inoculated spikelets were placed at the centre of each plot on some dates as a local point source of inoculum. Plants exposed to field inoculum were returned to a glasshouse, incubated at near-100% relative humidity for 48 h and then at ambient relative humidity for another week before counting infected spikelets to estimate pathogen dispersal. Three times as many spikelets became infected when inoculum was present within 200 m of trap plants, but infected spikelets did not decline with increasing distance from local source within the 200 m. Spikelets also became infected on all 10 dates when plants were exposed without a local source of infected plants, indicating that infection can occur from conidia surviving in the atmosphere. In 2005, when trap plants were placed at 14 locations along a 280 km route, infected spikelets diminished with increasing distance from sorghum paddocks and infection was sporadic for distances over 1 km. Multiple regression analysis showed significant influence of moisture related weather variables on inoculum dispersal. Results suggest that sanitation measures can help reduce ergot severity at the local level, but sustainable management will require better understanding of long-distance dispersal of C. africana inoculum.     

Solarization and natural heating of irrigated soil amended with cruciferous residues for improved control of Macrophomina phaseolina

The efficacy of summer irrigation and soil solarization combined with cruciferous residues was tested against the dry root rot pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina in an arid climate. In irrigated amended soil, polyethylene mulching during May increased the soil temperature to 57°C and 50°C at depths of 0–15 and 16–30 cm, respectively. As a result, within l5 days the population of M. phaseolina was almost eradicated (93–99%) at both soil depths. A considerable reduction (75–96%) was also achieved by natural heating of irrigated soil (46–53°C) for l5 days after amending with cruciferous residues. Mulching alone was only partially effective (69–89% reduction). These results suggest a new approach to controlling soil-borne pathogens in hot, arid regions by combining summer irrigation with soil amendment. Amendment with residues alone or in conjunction with soil solarization also increased the population of lytic bacteria against M. phaseolina .     

Factors affecting mummification and sporulation of pome fruit infected by Monilinia fructigena in Dutch orchards

A 2-year field experiment (1997–98, 1998–99) was conducted to study mummification and subsequent sporulation in spring of apple (cvs James Grieve, Golden Delicious) and pear (cv . Conference) fruits infected by Monilinia fructigena . Most mummified fruits were found in James Grieve and Conference, whereas in late-infected Golden Delicious, fruits were still soft when examined in April. In the first year, these late-infected fruits had a significantly higher sporulation intensity per sporulating fruit ( P  = 0·05) compared with Golden Delicious fruits infected 9 and 5 weeks before harvest maturity, which were partly mummified. It was concluded that early- and late-infected fruits contributed to primary inoculum in the next season. In a postinfection regime of 25°C and 65–75% relative humidity under controlled conditions, the number of Conference fruits sporulating decreased rapidly, and after 12 weeks' incubation sporulation had completely ceased. After 8 weeks' incubation, sporulation intensity in the postinfection regime at 10°C was significantly higher than that at 20 and 25°C in a first experiment with inoculated unripe fruit ( P  = 0·05). Results of a second experiment with ripe fruit were less clear. These results are discussed in relation to orchard disease management.     

Factors affecting the incidence and severity of Spongospora subterranea infection and galling in potato roots

The incidence and severity of root infection and root galling caused by Spongospora subterranea were assessed in potato plants (cv. Estima) grown under controlled environmental conditions. The effects of temperature, soil type, soil moisture regime and soil inoculum level on infection and root gall development were determined by molecular and visual methods at two plant growth stages. Root gall severity was scored at harvest, after which DNA was extracted from the roots and quantified in a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay specific for S. subterranea . Root galling was severe at 17°C, with a disease score of 3·1 on a 0–4 scale, low (0·6) at 12°C, and did not occur at 9°C. The level of inoculum in soil, in the form of artificially added sporosori, had no effect on the incidence and severity of visual symptoms, with 21%, 41% and 33% incidence observed at 5, 15 and 50 sporosori g⁻¹ soil, respectively. Incidence of infection, as detected by the real-time PCR assay, was greater with increasing soil inoculum concentrations, ranging from 48% at 5 sporosori g⁻¹ to 59% (15 sporosori g⁻¹) and 73% (50 sporosori g⁻¹) of plants infected at maturity, but this effect was not statistically significant. No correlation was found between the occurrence of galls on roots and powdery scab on tubers of the same plants.     

Reduction of Spore Density of Plasmodiophora brassicae in Soil by Decoy Plants

The severity of clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) on Chinese cabbage was reduced by growing plants such as oats, spinach and leafy daikon prior to Chinese cabbage in pot experiments. Resting spore densities of P. brassicae in the soil were 29–62%, depending on the pervious crop, as compared to unplanted control plot after ploughing under the previously cultivated plants. Root hairs of the preceding plants were infected with P. brassicae, but clubbed roots were not formed on these plants. The results indicate that these plants functioned as decoy plants reducing the resting-spore density in soil and thereby suppressing disease severity. Received 21 February 2000/ Accepted in revised form 5 September 2000     

Surface Disinfestation of Resting Spores of Plasmodiophora brassicae Used to Infect Hairy Roots of Brassica spp

ABSTRACT Resting spores of Plasmodiophora brassicae were surface-disinfested by treatment with 2% chloramine-T for 20 min and then with an antibiotic solution (1,000 ppm of colistin sulfate, 1,000 ppm of vancomycin hydrochloride, and 6,000 ppm of cefotaxime sodium) for 1 day. The disinfested resting spores were used to inoculate hairy roots of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata cv. Fuji Wase), Chinese cabbage (B. pekinensis cv. Musou Hakusai), turnip (B. rapa var. rapifera cv. Wase Okabu), and rape (B. napus line Dc 119). Differences among hosts in susceptibility to clubroot in hairy roots were evident. Chinese cabbage and turnip hairy roots supported the highest percentages of root hair infection (53.3 to 80%) and the greatest production of zoosporangial groups (8.5 to 32.5 per root). Moreover, gall formation was observed only on Chinese cabbage and turnip hairy roots. The morphology of zoo-sporangia, plasmodia, and resting spores in diseased hairy roots was found to be identical to that in infected intact plants by both light and scanning electron microscopy. Pathogenicity tests confirmed the infectivity of resting spores produced in hairy roots. Thus, the hairy root culture technique should prove useful as a dual culture system for P. brassicae.     

Effects of temperature and moisture on disease and fruit body development of Mycosphaerella pinodes on pea (Pisum sativum)

The effects of temperature (5–30°C) and the duration of moisture on the development of ascochyta blight ( Mycosphaerella pinodes ) on pea seedlings, grown under controlled conditions, were investigated. The optimum temperature for monocyclic processes was 20°C. At this temperature, pycnidiospores germinated after 2 h, appressoria formed after 6 h and the germ-tube penetrated the leaf cuticle after 8 h. Disease symptoms were evident after 1 day of incubation and the first pycnidia formed after 3 days. Longer wetting periods were required for disease development and pycnidial formation at non-optimal temperatures. Disease severity and the number of pycnidia formed on leaves increased with temperature from 5 to 20°C, then decreased between 20 and 30°C. Polynomial equations were fitted to predict the stages of infection, incubation, latency and disease development as functions of temperature and duration of moisture. These equations allow comparisons of pathogen spread with plant development and could be incorporated into disease development models used for crop management programmes.     

Sanitation practices that inhibit reproduction of Monosporascus cannonballus in melon roots left in the field after crop termination

Ascospores of Monosporascus cannonballus function as primary inoculum for infection of melon roots. Previous studies demonstrated that pathogen reproduction (i.e. ascospore production) occurs on infected melon roots primarily after the crop has been terminated. Therefore, the key to maintaining low soil population densities of the pathogen is to destroy the hyphae of the pathogen in infected roots as soon as possible after crop termination, thereby inhibiting ascospore production. Results from a 3-year field study demonstrated that, relative to the nontreated controls, an immediate postharvest application of metam sodium (applied via the drip irrigation system at 187 L ha⁻¹) or cultivation (which lifts roots onto the surface of the soil for rapid desiccation) significantly inhibited pathogen reproduction in infected melon roots, as shown by the number of roots subsequently bearing perithecia. Additionally, ascospore populations in plots that received either the metam sodium or cultivation treatment were significantly lower ( P  < 0·05) than populations in the nontreated control plots at the end of the 3-year study. These results demonstrated the efficacy of these postharvest treatments in the inhibition of pathogen reproduction and retardation of inoculum build-up in soil.     

Growth in vitro and infectivity of Colletotrichum coccodes on potato tubers at different temperatures

To investigate the ability of black dot symptoms to develop on infected potato tubers during storage, the growth of Colletotrichum coccodes was followed in vitro on malt agar at temperatures ranging from 5–27°C, and in vivo on artificially infected potato tubers kept at 5, 10 and 15°C. In vitro , 13 isolates from different geographical origins grew at all temperatures tested; growth started with a delay of 10 days at 5°C and of 4 days at 10°C, and was fastest at 27°C. All isolates had similar growth patterns and produced conidia and sclerotia at all temperatures. Minitubers were successfully infected at 5, 10 and 15°C by depositing either a mycelial plug or a drop of conidial suspension on the tuber surface. Sclerotia were observed after 7 days at the point of inoculation. Symptoms extended in all cases, although more slowly at 5 and 10 than at 15°C. Latent infections were detected in up to 21% of tubers without black dot symptoms at harvest. These results show that latent infections by C. coccodes are probably quite frequent, and that the pathogen is able to develop at low temperatures in controlled conditions. This suggests that black dot symptoms can increase during storage if stores are not adequately managed.     

Evaluation of soil solarization for control of root diseases of row crops in Victoria

The effect of soil solarization on the viability of plant pathogens and disease was evaluated in Victoria. The treatment was tested in NW and S Victoria with natural soil inoculated with high inoculum levels of Eusarium oxysporum, Plasmodiophora brassicae, Sclerotium cepivorum, Sclerotinia minor, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Verticillium dahliae and the nematodes Meloidogyne javanica and Pratylenchus penetrans. Other experiments were established at sites with a previous history of disease.
Solarization of artificially inoculated soils reduced inoculum levels to at least a depth of 10 cm and effectively controlled diseases caused by P. brassicae on broccoli, and S. minor and S. sclerotiorum on lettuce. The treatment reduced inoculum levels but not disease of carnations and watermelons affected by E. oxysporum , tomatoes affected by M. javanica , celery affected by P. penetrans , and onions affected by S. cepivorum. Results were inconclusive for tomatoes affected by V. dahliae.
Experiments in naturally infested soils established that solarization reduced disease and increased yields of Chinese cabbage affected by P. brassicae , celery affected by P. penetrans , lettuce affected by S. minor and watermelon affected by root rot.
Solarization reduced disease of onions affected by S. cepivorum but did not significantly increase yield. At all sites the treatment reduced the number of viable propagules of the pathogens to at least a depth of 10 cm.     

Effects of growing leafy daikon (Raphanus sativus) on populations of Plasmodiophora brassicae (clubroot)

Control of some soilborne pathogens may be achieved by use of decoy or catch crops. These stimulate the germination of resting spores, resulting in limited expression of disease symptoms. Results achieved using this approach are reported here using leafy daikon (radish, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus ) for control of Plasmodiophora brassicae , the cause of clubroot disease of Brassicaceae. Disease indices of Chinese cabbage plants grown in pots that had previously contained leafy daikon were lower compared with pots where no plants had been grown before (control pots). Numbers of resting spores of P. brassicae in soil in pots after cultivation with leafy daikon were reduced by 71% compared with control pots when resting spores were recovered and counted directly. In a field experiment, numbers of resting spores were reduced by 94% compared with the start of the experiment when leafy daikon was grown in advance of Chinese cabbage, but there was no reduction in disease severity in the Chinese cabbage. Plasmodiophora brassicae infected the root hairs of leafy daikon and those of Chinese cabbage, but no clubs were found on leafy daikon roots. The results from pot trials indicate that leafy daikon may be useful as a decoy crop for the control of clubroot disease in field crops.     

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.     

Population dynamics of Fusarium species on oil palm seeds following chemical and heat treatments

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis may be present naturally on or within oil palm seeds, thus there is a risk of introducing the disease into previously wilt-free regions. A low proportion of infested seed was shown to give rise to infected plants. Populations of Fusarium spp. on seeds significantly declined after routine processing to induce seed germination, but the pathogen was not eradicated. However, vacuum infiltration and soaking for 7 days with captafol effectively eradicated the pathogen. The significance of F. oxysporum on oil palm seed as a potential inoculum source is discussed.     

Suppression of clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) development in Arabidopsis thaliana by the endophytic fungus Acremonium alternatum

This study investigated the ability of an endophytic fungus Acremonium alternatum to reduce clubroot formation in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is highly susceptible to Plasmodiophora brassicae . Quantitative PCR demonstrated that A. alternatum colonized the P. brassicae -infected roots and shoots of the host plant. When Arabidopsis plants were co-inoculated with P. brassicae and A. alternatum , gall formation was reduced as shown by the reduction of the disease index (DI) by up to 50% compared to plants only infected with P. brassicae, whereas the infection rate was lowered by about 20% only in several, but not all, experiments. Clubroot was similarly suppressed when plants were inoculated with autoclaved A. alternatum spores or spore extracts, showing that viable spores were not needed. However, A. alternatum spores did not inhibit P. brassicae resting spore germination. Compared to the normal root galls, the smaller root galls on A. alternatum -inoculated plants contained fewer resting spores of the clubroot pathogen. It was thus hypothesized that inoculation with A. alternatum delayed the development of P. brassicae . Using quantitative RT-PCR to monitor the expression of P. brassicae genes differentially expressed during the development of the disease, a delayed pathogen development was corroborated. Furthermore, greenhouse experiments identified a time window in which the endophyte had to be administered, where the latest effective time point was 5 days before inoculation with P. brassicae and the optimum treatment was to administer A. alternatum and P. brassicae at the same time. These results indicate that A. alternatum and perhaps similar endophytes could be useful for the management of clubroot disease.