Articles
EVALUATION OF SOME PRE-PLANT SOIL TREATMENTS AND CHEMICAL DISINFECTANTS FOR CONTROL OF FUSARIUM WILT DISEASES IN PROTECTED CUT FLOWERS
Article number
883_26
Pages
215 – 222
Language
English
Abstract
In the UK Fusarium wilt diseases have recently caused significant losses in cut flower crops of column stock (Matthiola incana) and lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) grown intensively in the soil in greenhouses.
A series of experiments was done to evaluate some pre-plant treatments for disinfesting soil and some chemicals for disinfecting surfaces against F. oxysporum. The effect of pre-plant soil treatments on survival of F. oxysporum was investigated on commercial nurseries in Eastern England.
Nylon bags containing naturally infected stem and root pieces of stock or lisianthus, mixed with moist sand, were buried at various depths in the soil.
After treatment, plant tissues were recovered, surface sterilised and plated onto agar to determine survival of the fungus.
Significant reductions in the incidence of tissue pieces with viable Fusarium sp. were achieved by sheet-steaming (soil above 80°C for 10 h), a steam plough (soil above 80°C for 1 h), chloropicrin (K&S Chlorofume at 20 ml/m2) applied via drip line irrigation, dazomet (Basamid at 76 g/m2) incorporated into the soil, formaldehyde (Formalin at 0.5 L/m2) and metam-sodium (Discovery 510 at 90 ml/m2) drenched onto the soil; calcium cyanamide (Perlka Microgran at 100 g/m2) incorporation was ineffective.
None of the treatments was fully effective under the conditions of these tests.
Negative pressure steaming was more efficient than conventional sheet steaming in raising soil temperature.
Six disinfectant products all prevented growth of F. oxysporum when used at their recommended rate for as little as 5 min. to treat a spore suspension in water.
Only two products reduced growth of F. oxysporum when used to treat mycelium of the fungus grown in filter paper discs.
Effective management of fusarium wilt diseases of cut flowers grown in greenhouses is unlikely to be achieved by soil and substrate disinfestation alone; the use of high health planting material (seed and plug plants), good nursery hygiene, manipulation of crop culture and fungicide treatments should all be considered within an integrated management strategy.
A series of experiments was done to evaluate some pre-plant treatments for disinfesting soil and some chemicals for disinfecting surfaces against F. oxysporum. The effect of pre-plant soil treatments on survival of F. oxysporum was investigated on commercial nurseries in Eastern England.
Nylon bags containing naturally infected stem and root pieces of stock or lisianthus, mixed with moist sand, were buried at various depths in the soil.
After treatment, plant tissues were recovered, surface sterilised and plated onto agar to determine survival of the fungus.
Significant reductions in the incidence of tissue pieces with viable Fusarium sp. were achieved by sheet-steaming (soil above 80°C for 10 h), a steam plough (soil above 80°C for 1 h), chloropicrin (K&S Chlorofume at 20 ml/m2) applied via drip line irrigation, dazomet (Basamid at 76 g/m2) incorporated into the soil, formaldehyde (Formalin at 0.5 L/m2) and metam-sodium (Discovery 510 at 90 ml/m2) drenched onto the soil; calcium cyanamide (Perlka Microgran at 100 g/m2) incorporation was ineffective.
None of the treatments was fully effective under the conditions of these tests.
Negative pressure steaming was more efficient than conventional sheet steaming in raising soil temperature.
Six disinfectant products all prevented growth of F. oxysporum when used at their recommended rate for as little as 5 min. to treat a spore suspension in water.
Only two products reduced growth of F. oxysporum when used to treat mycelium of the fungus grown in filter paper discs.
Effective management of fusarium wilt diseases of cut flowers grown in greenhouses is unlikely to be achieved by soil and substrate disinfestation alone; the use of high health planting material (seed and plug plants), good nursery hygiene, manipulation of crop culture and fungicide treatments should all be considered within an integrated management strategy.
Publication
Authors
T.M. O’Neill, K.R. Green
Keywords
Matthiola incana, Eustoma grandiflora, calcium cyanamide, chloropicrin, dazomet, formaldehyde, metam sodium, steaming
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