Articles
Seasonal differences influence the efficacy of soil biosolarisation with plant debris on the presence of Fusarium spp. and Pythium spp. in soil
Article number
1410_2
Pages
9 – 16
Language
English
Abstract
The effect of soil biosolarisation treatments on Fusarium spp. and Pythium spp. populations was evaluated for two consecutive years in two commercial greenhouses (GHs) located in Almería, Spain.
Four rates of fresh plant debris (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 kg m-2), a treatment with 5 kg m-2 of fresh sheep manure + 0.1 kg m-2 of feather meal, and a solarisation treatment with no incorporation of organic amendment were tested.
The treatment dates differed between the two GHs: i) March-May in GH1 and ii) May-August in GH2. Following treatments, pepper and cucumber crops were grown in Greenhouse 1 and Greenhouse 2, respectively.
In both greenhouses, soil samplings were carried out to determine the initial state, as well as after the treatments and at the end of the crops in both years.
Complementary bioassays with tomato and cucumber plants were conducted to evaluate the impact of the soil treatments on plant growth.
Initially, the populations of F. oxysporum and F. equiseti were higher in the soils of GH2, while those of F. solani and Pythium spp. were higher in GH1. In Greenhouse 1, biosolarisation treatments with plant debris increased Fusarium solani population and Pythium was present in all evaluated soil samples.
In Greenhouse 2, all treatments significantly reduced both Fusarium and Pythium populations in the first year and throughout the second year, making them undetectable by the analytical technique used.
In any case, no pathogenicity was detected in the pepper and cucumber crops or in tomato and cucumber seedlings grown in the bioassays.
The values of three out of four growth-related variables in cucumber seedlings showed a positive relation with F. solani population.
The application of plant debris to the soil through biosolarisation is postulated as an alternative for the management of crop residues in accordance with the principles of circular economy.
Four rates of fresh plant debris (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 kg m-2), a treatment with 5 kg m-2 of fresh sheep manure + 0.1 kg m-2 of feather meal, and a solarisation treatment with no incorporation of organic amendment were tested.
The treatment dates differed between the two GHs: i) March-May in GH1 and ii) May-August in GH2. Following treatments, pepper and cucumber crops were grown in Greenhouse 1 and Greenhouse 2, respectively.
In both greenhouses, soil samplings were carried out to determine the initial state, as well as after the treatments and at the end of the crops in both years.
Complementary bioassays with tomato and cucumber plants were conducted to evaluate the impact of the soil treatments on plant growth.
Initially, the populations of F. oxysporum and F. equiseti were higher in the soils of GH2, while those of F. solani and Pythium spp. were higher in GH1. In Greenhouse 1, biosolarisation treatments with plant debris increased Fusarium solani population and Pythium was present in all evaluated soil samples.
In Greenhouse 2, all treatments significantly reduced both Fusarium and Pythium populations in the first year and throughout the second year, making them undetectable by the analytical technique used.
In any case, no pathogenicity was detected in the pepper and cucumber crops or in tomato and cucumber seedlings grown in the bioassays.
The values of three out of four growth-related variables in cucumber seedlings showed a positive relation with F. solani population.
The application of plant debris to the soil through biosolarisation is postulated as an alternative for the management of crop residues in accordance with the principles of circular economy.
Authors
J.I. Marín-Guirao, M.A. Gómez-Tenorio, F.J. Castillo-Díaz, J.C. Tello-Marquina
Keywords
biodisinfestation, circular economy, greenhouse, horticultural crops, solarisation
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