Articles
ASSESSMENT OF KELP EXTRACT BIOSTIMULANTS ON DISEASE INCIDENCE AND DAMAGE IN A CERTIFIED ORGANIC APPLE ORCHARD
Article number
1001_30
Pages
265 – 271
Language
English
Abstract
Organic farmers commonly use natural biostimulants in their fertility program to supplement mineral nutrition.
These materials are a poorly-defined group of products that are not plant fertilizers, but which, when used in small quantities, may improve plant growth or function.
Two biostimulant materials extracted from the kelp Ascophyllum nodosum, StimplexTM and Seacrop16TM, were assessed against a non-treated control over two seasons in 2009 and 2010 in a certified organic apple orchard in South Burlington, Vermont planted in 2006. The objective of this study was to assess non-target effects from application of Ascophyllum nodosum biostimulant extracts (ANE) on incidence of disease symptoms on apple foliage and fruit.
ANEs were applied at label rates seven times during each growing season to each of five replicates of the five apple cultivars Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, Liberty, Macoun, and Zestar!. Treatments were applied in a completely randomized design to the same trees in both study years.
Data were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA with separate cultivar and kelp extract treatments, and Tukeys HSD was used to test mean separations between treatments.
The majority of the data found no effect of kelp extracts on disease incidence on foliage or fruit.
ANE treatment reduced incidence of powdery mildew on Ginger Gold in one year versus the non-treated control, and incidence of fruit rots was increased by treatment with ANE. Since ANE treatments showed little beneficial effect on overall disease incidence compared with a non-treated control in this study, the use of the products tested to increase the effectiveness of a disease control program in organic apple production is not recommended.
These materials are a poorly-defined group of products that are not plant fertilizers, but which, when used in small quantities, may improve plant growth or function.
Two biostimulant materials extracted from the kelp Ascophyllum nodosum, StimplexTM and Seacrop16TM, were assessed against a non-treated control over two seasons in 2009 and 2010 in a certified organic apple orchard in South Burlington, Vermont planted in 2006. The objective of this study was to assess non-target effects from application of Ascophyllum nodosum biostimulant extracts (ANE) on incidence of disease symptoms on apple foliage and fruit.
ANEs were applied at label rates seven times during each growing season to each of five replicates of the five apple cultivars Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, Liberty, Macoun, and Zestar!. Treatments were applied in a completely randomized design to the same trees in both study years.
Data were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA with separate cultivar and kelp extract treatments, and Tukeys HSD was used to test mean separations between treatments.
The majority of the data found no effect of kelp extracts on disease incidence on foliage or fruit.
ANE treatment reduced incidence of powdery mildew on Ginger Gold in one year versus the non-treated control, and incidence of fruit rots was increased by treatment with ANE. Since ANE treatments showed little beneficial effect on overall disease incidence compared with a non-treated control in this study, the use of the products tested to increase the effectiveness of a disease control program in organic apple production is not recommended.
Publication
Authors
T.L. Bradshaw, L.P. Berkett, M.C. Griffith, S.L. Kingsley-Richards, H.M. Darby, R.L. Parsons, R.E. Moran, M.E. Garcia
Keywords
Malus ×domestica, ‘Ginger Gold’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Macoun’, ‘Zestar!’, integrated pest management, Ascophyllum nodosum
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