Location: Crop Production and Protection
Project Number: 0500-00102-001-029-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2024
End Date: May 31, 2025
Objective:
A. For corn, the overall project goals are to:
1) Develop disease prediction models for corn diseases based on presence of initial inoculum, aerial spore density, and production and environmental factors;
2) Validate the accuracy of prediction within each disease model.
B. For cotton, the overall project goal is to develop predictive tools from standardized and validated datasets to guide grower decisions, targeting foliar and seedling diseases.
Approach:
For corn, the project goals are conducted in four objectives: 1) Establish the association between inoculum intensity, production factors, disease development, and weather in experimental plot trials; 2) Compare spore trap technologies for detection of pathogen population levels; 3) Develop primers and protocols for detection of the southern rust and Curvularia leaf spot pathogens; and 4) Disseminate corn disease information and management techniques through various outputs. To achieve these objectives, the Cooperator plans work with other scientists on the project to establish two field trials in Mississippi. Trials will consist of hybrids susceptible and resistant to Northern Corn Leaf Blight. Test areas will be divided in half by corn debris management (high debris vs. low debris) from the previous crop. Planting date will be staggered to capture overlapping environments conducive to disease development. Plots will be rated weekly/biweekly for NCLB. Burkhard spore traps will be deployed in the middle of each debris zone to sample via PCR for airborne infective propagules weekly throughout the season. Improvised, low-cost active spore traps will also be deployed alongside the Burkhard traps for comparison. Two weather stations also will be deployed in the field at each location to monitor environmental parameters. Plots will be harvested to determine yield.
For Cotton the project goals are conducted in five objectives: 1) Collect inoculum potential on a weekly to bi-weekly basis using air samplers at three locations; 2) Collect disease data of foliar and seedling diseases; 3) Collect weather data using subscriptions from a Cooperator; 4) Collect crop information (planting date, planting rate, management data, etc.); and 5) Use data to develop a predictive tool for cotton disease management. To accomplish the proposed project for foliar diseases, two commercial cotton fields in Mississippi will be monitored with air samplers and inoculum identified and quantified by molecular tools. Fields will be visually rated for diseases present. To accomplish the proposed project for seedling diseases, non-treated seed plots will be evaluated for major seedling pathogen frequency (Pythium spp., Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia solani, and Thielaviopsis basicola) by visual rating and isolation and quantification of pathogenic fungi and oomycetes from seedlings and soil. Soil and plant samples will be taken from the trial location and soilborne pathogens identified and quantified using traditional laboratory methods and PCR.
