Articles
Wild blueberry leaf diseases in a warmer climate: the impact of temperature and soil amendments
Article number
1440_25
Pages
177 – 184
Language
English
Abstract
Wild blueberries, a crucial economic crop of Maine, USA, Quebec, and Maritime Canada, face new challenges with global warming.
These temperature shifts notably impact plant diseases, changing crop production dynamics.
As climate change conditions evolve, there is a pressing need to adapt management practices and strategies to effectively address the changing patterns of plant disease occurrence.
Our research focused on the impact of changed temperature and humidity under warming conditions on leaf spot diseases and the effectiveness of mulch and biochar for disease management.
To assess the impact of warming, open-top chambers with active heating systems were established in six Vaccinium angustifolium genotypes in two fields before the growing season of the vegetative year 2021, and disease monitoring was carried out in the crop year 2022. Each genotype had three open-top chambers and two ambient open plots without chambers.
The soil within each warming chamber remained uncovered or was covered with biochar-compost mix (BCM) or softwood mulch, whereas the soil in the open plots remained uncovered or was covered with BCM. The average temperatures were significantly (1.2°C) higher in all three chamber plots compared to the two open plots without chambers.
The relative humidity of the plots with chambers was significantly lower in August compared to the open plots without chambers.
In July and August, the severity of Sphaerulina leaf spot disease on wild blueberries was significantly lower in chambers with BCM and without soil amendments compared to the control.
The mulch treatment was also lower than the control in August.
Powdery mildew severity and blueberry cover showed no significant differences among treatments, but leaf loss percentage was significantly lower in NT plots in August.
The decrease in the severity of Sphaerulina leaf spot under warming treatments may be due to the decreased humidity that accompanied warming.
Our study reveals the associated effects of changed temperature and humidity under warming on leaf diseases of wild blueberries.
These temperature shifts notably impact plant diseases, changing crop production dynamics.
As climate change conditions evolve, there is a pressing need to adapt management practices and strategies to effectively address the changing patterns of plant disease occurrence.
Our research focused on the impact of changed temperature and humidity under warming conditions on leaf spot diseases and the effectiveness of mulch and biochar for disease management.
To assess the impact of warming, open-top chambers with active heating systems were established in six Vaccinium angustifolium genotypes in two fields before the growing season of the vegetative year 2021, and disease monitoring was carried out in the crop year 2022. Each genotype had three open-top chambers and two ambient open plots without chambers.
The soil within each warming chamber remained uncovered or was covered with biochar-compost mix (BCM) or softwood mulch, whereas the soil in the open plots remained uncovered or was covered with BCM. The average temperatures were significantly (1.2°C) higher in all three chamber plots compared to the two open plots without chambers.
The relative humidity of the plots with chambers was significantly lower in August compared to the open plots without chambers.
In July and August, the severity of Sphaerulina leaf spot disease on wild blueberries was significantly lower in chambers with BCM and without soil amendments compared to the control.
The mulch treatment was also lower than the control in August.
Powdery mildew severity and blueberry cover showed no significant differences among treatments, but leaf loss percentage was significantly lower in NT plots in August.
The decrease in the severity of Sphaerulina leaf spot under warming treatments may be due to the decreased humidity that accompanied warming.
Our study reveals the associated effects of changed temperature and humidity under warming on leaf diseases of wild blueberries.
Publication
Authors
K.C. Bagale, R. Tasnim, S.L. Annis, Y.-J. Zhang
Keywords
warming, Vaccinium angustifolium, biochar, mulch, Sphaerulina, powdery mildew
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