EVALUATION OF BIOFUMIGATION, SOIL SOLARIZATION AND ROOTSTOCK ON PEACH REPLANT DISEASE

This study looked at alternatives to chemicals for replant disease in peach, which has not had an effective management solution since the loss of methyl bromide.
A factorial experiment was initiated in 2010 at the Western Colorado Research Center, CO with soil solarization vs. no soil solarization as main treatments; chicken manure plus compost, chicken manure, mustard (Brassica juncea), mustard meal cake, and a control as sub-treatments and ‘Nemaguard’, ‘Lovell’, ‘St.
Julian’ and ‘Viking’ rootstocks as sub-sub treatments with 6 replications.
The tree growth on the above rootstocks was also compared with trench and compost as well as in non-replant site in different experiments.
Trees were planted in May the following year of treatments and tree circumferences were measured within a month of planting, and tree survival taken annually.
Results indicated that soil solarization had no impact on first year growth, second year, and cumulative growth.
Soil amendments and rootstock had a significant effect on first year, second year and cumulative tree growth. ‘Viking’ was the best rootstock in terms of tree growth irrespective of treatments and for tree survival in some treatments.
Tree mortality, observed in some treatment combinations such as in soil solarization combined with mustard, was not found in the mustard and chicken manure plots, nor with ‘Nemaguard’ rootstock except in the soil solarization combined with chicken manure plots.
Tree growth on ‘Nemaguard’ rootstock was second to ‘Viking’. The least tree growth and lowest tree mortality was observed on ‘St.
Julian’ rootstock.
Cytospora canker was associated with higher tree death after the first year.
Trenching increased tree growth which varied with compost and rootstock combination.

VIII International Peach Symposium

R.R. Pokharel, G.L. Reighard

soil amendments, tree growth, trenching

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1084.78