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Title: PRE-PLANT CROP ROTATION AND COMPOST AMENDMENTS FOR IMPROVING RASPBERRY ESTABLISHMENT

Author
item Black, Brent
item SWARTZ, HARRY - NRSL DEPT, UNIV MD
item Millner, Patricia

Submitted to: Journal of the American Pomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2003
Publication Date: 6/7/2003
Citation: Black, B.L., Swartz, H., Millner, P.D. 2003. Pre-plant crop rotation and compost amendments for improving raspberry establishment. Journal of American Pomological Society. 57:149-156.

Interpretive Summary: Continuous production of perennial small-fruit crops results in a build up of soil-borne pests and pathogens that inhibit establishment of new plantings. Cultural approaches are needed for addressing these replant disorders that have been typically treated by pre-plant soil fumigation. Two pre-plant bio-remediation treatments, a sudex-rapeseed rotation, and a compost amendment treatment, were compared to a conventional corn-barley rotation for improving establishment of raspberry on a site with a long history of perennial fruit production. The growth and initial survival in the sudex-rapeseed treatment was similar to that of the corn-barley control, while the corn-barley-compost treatment significantly improved raspberry growth and survival. This information will be of value to research and extension personnel in developing alternatives to chemical soil fumigation.

Technical Abstract: Two preplant treatments, a sorghum x sudangrass hybrid (Sudex) - rapeseed crop rotation, and a preplant compost amendment treatment, were compared to a control corn-barley rotation for alleviating replant problems on a field with a long history of perennial fruit crops. A raspberry selection trial was planted in each treatment, and raspberry growth over two seasons was monitored to evaluate the efficacy of these treatments for pre-plant bio-remediation. The growth and initial survival in the Sudex-rapeseed treatment was similar to that of the corn-barley control. However, the corn-barley-compost treatment significantly improved raspberry growth and survival. At the conclusion of the experiment root samples were assayed. Isolates of root-disease associated fast-growing fungi (Cylindrocarpon, Fusarium, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia) were found at low frequencies, but there were no significant differences in their occurrence among pre-plant treatments.