Articles
EXTENDING THE USE OF BIOPLASTIC GRANULES FOR THE APPLICATION OF TRICHODERMA BIOCONTROL ISOLATES IN FLORI/HORTICULTURE AND TURFGRASS
Article number
1015_8
Pages
79 – 88
Language
English
Abstract
Bioplastic materials are gaining increasing interest in a variety of different industrial and domestic applications.
Beside its usage as mulching films and plant clips in horticulture, no other agricultural applications have been proposed.
In 2009 we demonstrated that granules made of the bioplastic Mater-Bi are an efficient and practical solution for field applications of biocontrol isolates of the fungus Aspergillus flavus. Here, we investigated the feasibility to extend this approach for delivering propagules of two biocontrol Trichoderma isolates with the final objective to control damping-off of selected bedding, horticultural and turfgrass species.
Bioplastic granules entrapping conidia of Trichoderma virens Gv29-8 or T. harzianum ATCC 20847 were applied to a potting mix infested with the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Both isolates showed a positive effect in reducing damping-off disease of impatiens and tomato seedlings.
In the case of potting mix infested with the lowest level of pathogen propagules causing 30% of damping-off, application of 1% (w/w) of inoculated granules resulted in 5 and 3% of impatiens and tomato seedlings, respectively, affected by damping-off.
With a more severe infestation (50% of damping-off), amending the potting mixture with 10% bioplastic granules produced an average of 91% suppression of damping-off in both species.
Granules entrapping conidia of the biocontrol isolate ATCC 20847 were significantly more effective in protecting impatiens and tomato seedlings.
The experiment was repeated with potting mix infested with Pythium ultimum and planted with annual bluegrass.
Bioplastic granules inoculated with the T. harzianum isolate significantly reduced (~90%) the impact of damping-off caused by this pathogen.
Results from this study indicated that the usage of this bioplastic-based formulation has the potential to be extended for the biocontrol of damping-off in flori/horticulture crops and turfgrass.
Beside its usage as mulching films and plant clips in horticulture, no other agricultural applications have been proposed.
In 2009 we demonstrated that granules made of the bioplastic Mater-Bi are an efficient and practical solution for field applications of biocontrol isolates of the fungus Aspergillus flavus. Here, we investigated the feasibility to extend this approach for delivering propagules of two biocontrol Trichoderma isolates with the final objective to control damping-off of selected bedding, horticultural and turfgrass species.
Bioplastic granules entrapping conidia of Trichoderma virens Gv29-8 or T. harzianum ATCC 20847 were applied to a potting mix infested with the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Both isolates showed a positive effect in reducing damping-off disease of impatiens and tomato seedlings.
In the case of potting mix infested with the lowest level of pathogen propagules causing 30% of damping-off, application of 1% (w/w) of inoculated granules resulted in 5 and 3% of impatiens and tomato seedlings, respectively, affected by damping-off.
With a more severe infestation (50% of damping-off), amending the potting mixture with 10% bioplastic granules produced an average of 91% suppression of damping-off in both species.
Granules entrapping conidia of the biocontrol isolate ATCC 20847 were significantly more effective in protecting impatiens and tomato seedlings.
The experiment was repeated with potting mix infested with Pythium ultimum and planted with annual bluegrass.
Bioplastic granules inoculated with the T. harzianum isolate significantly reduced (~90%) the impact of damping-off caused by this pathogen.
Results from this study indicated that the usage of this bioplastic-based formulation has the potential to be extended for the biocontrol of damping-off in flori/horticulture crops and turfgrass.
Authors
C. Accinelli, M. Mencarelli, H.K. Abbas , M.A. Weaver
Keywords
biopolymers, biocontrol formulations, biopesticides, biofungicides, biological control
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