Behaviour of some pesticides in a nutrient-film and in a rock-wool system

Adsorption of ethoprophos, tetrachlorvinphos and etridiazole onto rock-wool was found to be much weaker than adsorption onto soils. The rates of transformation in water and in water plus rock-wool at 20°C were low. The concentration of etridiazole was measured in a nutrient-film system with recirculating nutrient solution. The decrease was rapid in the first few hours but was more gradual afterwards, to low values at 8 days after application. Etridiazole penetrated poorly into the lower part of a rock-wool system when the solution was trickled near the stem-base of the tomato plants.     

The response of plant species used in agriculture and horticulture to viroid infections

The reactions of the viroids causing cucumber pale fruit (CPFV), chrysanthemum stunt (CSV) and citrus exocortis (CEV) in different plant species and varieties used in agriculture and horticulture were studied. These viroids caused identical symptoms on tomato and potato. The reactions of chrysanthemum Mistletoe to CPFV or CSV were identical, but CEV-infected plants reacted quite differently. CPFV and CEV caused the same type of symptoms on cucumber plants but symptoms of CEV were always weaker.Ten of the tested horticultural crop species appeared to be susceptible to CPFV, of which eight produced symptoms. In the Netherlands, however, CPFV is only described as pathogen on cucumber plants grown in glasshouses. Ten species were susceptible to CSV of which three produced symptoms. In the Netherlands CSV only occurs in chrysanthemum. Nine of the tested crops proved to be susceptible to CEV and seven were sensitive to this viroid which occurs in citric crops of (sub)tropical climate zones.Our results show that the viroids studies form potential pathogens for other crops than cucumber and chrysanthemum which are now affected by two of them.Samenvatting Het viroïde dat de bleke-vruchtenziekte bij komkommer veroorzaakt (CPFV), chrysanthemum stunt viroïde (CSV) en citrus exocortis viroïde (CEV) produceren symptomen op tomaat en aardappel, die niet van elkaar zijn te onderscheiden. De reactie van chrysant Mistletoe op CPFV of CSV is identiek, maar na infectie met CEV reageren de planten volkomen anders. Komkommers ontwikkelen dezelfde symptomen na een besmetting met CPFV en CEV, hoewel laatstgenoemd agens altijd een zwakker ziektebeeld oproept.Tomaat, aardappel, aubergine, chrysant, komkommer, augurk, meloen enBenincasa bleken gevoelig te zijn en paprika en petunia vatbaar voor CPFV, terwijl in Nederland alleen van komkommergewassen bekend is, dat ze aangetast worden door dit pathogeen.Tomaat, aardappel en chrysant waren ook gevoelig voor CSV, vatbaar voor dit viroïde waren paprika, petunia,Nicandra, andijvie, komkommer, augurk enBenincasa cerifera. In ons land kennen we stunt alleen in de chrysantenteelt. Negen gewassen bleken vatbaar te zijn voor CEV, en zeven waren gevoelig voor dit viroïde, dat alleen in (sub)tropische klimaatzones voorkomt.Vierentwintig cultuurgewassen bleken onvatbaar te zijn voor alle drie viroïden. De resultaten van dit onderzoek wijzen er op dat CPFV, CSV en CEV nauw verwant zijn, maar niet identiek.     

Anaerobic disinfestation of tare soils contaminated with Ralstonia solanacearum biovar 2 and Globodera pallida

Tare soil is soil attached to harvested products like potato tubers. Tare soil becomes a considerable waste stream after storage, washing and processing of harvested products. There is a high risk on contamination of tare soils with (quarantine) phytopathogens, because of import of harvested products from different regions of the world. Disinfestation is necessary to make tare soils applicable for agricultural production. Anaerobic (non-chemical) soil disinfestation (ASD) and inundation are suitable methods to disinfest tare soils. Two different soils (marine loam and glacial sand) were either treated with five (2011) or four (2012) treatments and these were: (i) no treatment (control), (ii) freshly cut grass, (iii) Herbie 7025, (iv) inundation (five cm water on top of the soil surface), and (v) combination of Herbie 7025 and inundation (2011 only). Containers with treated and untreated soils were inoculated with two quarantine phytopathogens, Ralstonia solanacearum biovar 2 and Globodera pallida. After soil inoculation, the containers were airtight closed and only opened for destructive sampling after 84 days. Then, soils were analysed for the presence of R. solanacearum biovar 2, using immunofluorescence colony staining, and for the presence of viable G. pallida eggs, determined by the number of juveniles hatched from eggs and lured to potato root exudate. Strong (> 99.4 %) declines of both pathogens in treated versus the appropriate control soils were observed. Repetition of the experiment revealed the same pattern and therefore it was concluded that ASD and inundation, as separate treatments, have promise for remediation of tare soils from contaminating quarantine pathogens.