ARS | Publication request: Active manipulation of resident biology to suppress Macrophomina phaseolina in strawberry

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 28, 2011
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Citation: Mazzola, M. 2011. Active manipulation of resident biology to suppress Macrophomina phaseolina in strawberry. Phytopathology. 101:S117.

Technical Abstract: M. phaseolina is a pathogen of emerging importance in strawberry production systems. Brassicaceae seed meal amendments suppressed proliferation of M. phaseolina through soil systems, but optimal seed meal-induced pathogen suppression required a functional soil biology. Suppression of M. phaseolina was obtained with seed meal sourced from various brassicaceae species and was not associated with production of a biologically active chemistry (e.g. allyl isothiocyanate by Brassica juncea). Seed meal-induced disease control was temperature sensitive and suppression of M. phaseolina root infection attained at 28oC was abolished when assay temperature was elevated to 32oC. Wheat cultivation alone or in conjunction with B. juncea seed meal application was highly effective in suppressing M. phaseolina root infection when strawberry was planted into a naturally infested field soil. Interestingly, treatments that suppressed or abolished strawberry root infection by M. phaseolina did not consistently suppress quantity of the pathogen detected in bulk soil. Disease control was associated with an overall increase in density of fungi recovered from rhizosphere soil.