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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wenatchee, Washington » Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #350145
Research Project: Utilization of the Rhizosphere Microbiome and Host Genetics to Manage Soil-borne Diseases

Location: Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research

Title: Use of a summer cover crop as a partial carbon source for anaerobic soil disinfestation in coastal California

Author
item MURAMOTO, JOJI - University Of California
item SHENNAN, CAROL - University Of California
item Mazzola, Mark
item WOOD, TANYA - University Of California
item RESULTAY, ERIKA - University Of California
item ZAVATTA, MARGHERITA - University Of California
item KOIKE, STEVEN - University Of California

Submitted to: Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2018
Publication Date: 9/9/2018
Citation: Muramoto, J., Shennan, C., Mazzola, M., Wood, T., Resultay, E., Zavatta, M., Koike, S.T. 2018. Use of a summer cover crop as a partial carbon source for anaerobic soil disinfestation in coastal California. Symposium Proceedings. p. 8.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A series of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) experiments were conducted using a summer cover crop as a partial carbon source for ASD in coastal California (CA) with the goal of reducing ASD input costs. A randomized complete block-designed field trial with 6 cover crops (FL104 rye, Italian rye, triticale, piper Sudan grass, Ida Gold mustard, open-pollinated broccoli) plus no cover crop (weeds only) plots and rice bran 20 Mg/ha plots was conducted to control Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae (F.o.f) in Watsonville, CA. Cover crops were grown from May to July 2017. The highest biomass was obtained for triticale, FL104 rye, and Ida Gold mustard (~6.7 Mg-dry biomass/ha) and the remainder did not grow well mainly due to the moderate air temperature (average 14 °C) typical in the area. Cover crop was mowed and incorporated with rice bran at a rate of [20 - cover crop’s dry biomass] Mg/ha, and a flat ASD treatment with a clear TIF film was conducted from July to August 2017. A strong anaerobic condition was developed during treatment at all plots, and soil temperature under the clear TIF at 20 cm depth averaged 31 °C even though average air temperature was as low as 15 °C. Findings indicated that this approach can reduce the population of naturally infested F.o.f. buried inocula below the wilt threshold regardless of the cover crop type when the ASD incubation period was extended for 5 weeks or longer. A pot experiment with the same design conducted in fall 2017 confirmed that regardless of cover crop type this approach reduced microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae in naturally infested soil by 97% on average with a 3-week ASD treatment at a lower soil temperature condition. The cost analysis of both experiments is presented.