Management of common scab of potato in the field using biopesticides,fungicides, soil additives,or soil fumigants

Common scab, caused by Streptomyces scabiei is an economically important potato disease worldwide. The potato industry in New Brunswick, Canada experience $1.2 million loss every year due to this disease. Superficial, raised, or deep-pitted brownish lesions on infected tubers reduce the quality and marketability of both fresh-market and processing potatoes, and hence, common scab is considered a priority disease for which adequate control measures are lacking. The objective of this research was to compare various potential treatments in suppressing the disease. Two field experiments were conducted at McCain's Research Farm, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, Canada, in 2008 and 2009 to assess the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Chloropicrin, Pic-Plus, manganese sulphate and mustard meal in comparison with the chemical controls fludioxonil and mancozeb against common scab of potato. The disease incidence was significantly reduced by 36% due to the addition of mustard meal to the soil; 35.4% due to fludioxonil seed treatment; 30.0% due to soil fumigation with Pic-Plus; or by 27.2% due to soil fumigation with Chloropicrin. Potato tubers with scab severity ≥5% which are considered unmarketable in Canada were significantly reduced by 56.1% due to seed treatments with B. subtilis; by 57.8% due to fludioxonil; or by 63.1% due to the soil addition of mustard meal. The same treatments significantly increased marketable yield by 32.5%, 24.6%, and 24.6%, respectively. Soil fumigation with Chloropicrin or Pic-Plus increased marketable yield by 9.5% or 7.1%, respectively. These findings indicate that, in addition to the fludioxonil seed treatment, the seed treatment with the biopesticide containing B. subtilis and the soil addition of mustard meal treatments are potential alternatives for managing common scab of potatoes.     

Effect of organic soil amendments on damping-off of lettuce caused by Corticium praticola

Ten organic amendments were added to unsterile soil which was contaminated 14 days later with Corticium praticola and sown with lettuce seeds. Substantial increases in final stands of seedlings were obtained with grass meal, bran and wood cellulose. Corn and barley meal, linseed cake and fish meal decreased final stands; molassine meal, potato starch and peptone had relatively little effect. Seedlings grown with wood cellulose were very chlorotic and stunted. Up to 30% of lettuce seeds sown in soil which, 180 days earlier, had been amended with corn meal and contaminated with C. praticola became colonized by the fungus. None was colonized in unamended soil or in soil amended with grass meal. Ninety days after amendment and contamination fewer seeds were colonized in soil amended with grass meal than in unamended soil. The amendment of soil with grass meal was as effective as thiram seed treatment in protecting lettuce seedlings against C. praticola and grass meal was particularly effective in reducing both the numbers of seedlings attacked and the survival of the fungus in the soil.     

The effects of micro-organisms upon plant growth

Summary Phytotoxins developed during heat-sterilization of soil were removed by 40 per cent of the fungi and ten per cent of the bacteria isolated from inoculated heat-sterilized soil. Detoxication by the fungi was not necessarily associated with marked proliferation in sterile soil,Trichoderma viride was an active colonizer of sterile soil but quite ineffective as a detoxicating agent.The phytotoxins could be readily leached out and their effects transmitted to sterile sand and irradiated soil. Results indicate that the toxicity is not due to changes in pH, soluble manganese or ammonia but is probably due to the formation of toxic organic materials.Primary root growth of subterranean clover is markedly stunted by toxins formed during heat-sterilization of soil and could provide an extremely sensitive bioassay for toxicity.Detoxication by micro-organisms may have been misinterpreted in the past as a direct stimulation of plant growth and caution is required in studies of the effects of micro-organisms upon plant growth.     

The properties of a biologically formed manganese oxide,its availability to oats and its solution by root washings

Summary Manganese oxide, produced byCorynebacterium sp. in liquid medium was found to be amorphous, probably hydrated and was readily reduced by neutral quinol. Preparations of the oxide had values of n in the formula MnO_n which ranged from 1.76 to 1.88. The oxide was completely available to oats grown in sand culture but only slightly available in a manganese deficient soil. Plants grown under sterile conditions on agar slopes were able to obtain manganese from manganese oxide, indicating that the roots and not associated micro-organisms, were responsible for the solution process. Root washings of oat plants contained substances which dissolved manganese oxides and the activity of these substances increased with increasing acidity. The possible importance of these substances in making soil manganese available to plants is discussed.     

Non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation in soil

Summary 1. The fixation of N¹⁵-labeled nitrogen in small vessels of California soil under various conditions of pH, substrate level, oxygen tension, and other soil conditions was observed.2. Nitrate concentrations greater than 1.0–1.5 microequivalents per gram soil were found to suppress nitrogen fixation but not the growth ofAzotobacter.3. Large amounts of nitrogen were fixed when soluble organic substrates (e.g. glucose or sucrose) were added to the soil.4. Moderate fixation also resulted from the inversion of a disc of sod.5. Fixed nitrogen appeared largely in the nitrate and ammonia-amide fractions with that in the nitrate fraction probably representing nitrification of more reduced initial products of fixation.6. Under conditions of these experiments growing grass did not enhance fixation. At higher light intensities, however, such an enhancement might be observed.7. The incorporation of grass cuttings, straw or alfalfa meal into the soil caused only a slight increase in fixation.8. The inoculation of soils with large populations ofAzotobacter did not result in increased fixation.This investigation was supported in part by a contract with the United States Atomic Energy Commission.     

The influence of manganese on the development of potato scab

Summary The development of common scab on potato crops growing in slightly acid to neutral soils has been shown to be greatly reduced by application of manganese sulphate to the soil at planting time. A general improvement in health and appearance of tubers was noted and increased yields of marketable tubers were obtained. The possibility that environmental factors known to influence the development of scab are only important in so far as they affect the solubility of soil manganese is discussed.     

The effect of applications of manganese sulphate to a neutral soil upon the yield of tubers and the incidence of common scab in potatoes

Summary Potatoes grown on a neutral soil with low water-soluble manganese content gave a normal crop with no signs of manganese deficiency. Treatment with manganese sulphate (0.5 cwt per acre) mixed with a compound fertiliser and applied in the drill at planting time, increased the manganese content of leaves and tubers but had no effect on the total yield of tubers. The manganese treatment, however, increased the average weight of tuber and markedly reduced the incidence of scab. The results suggest a possible method of controlling scab in neutral soils.     

Three manganese oxide-rich marine sediments harbor similar communities of acetate-oxidizing manganese-reducing bacteria

Dissimilatory manganese reduction dominates anaerobic carbon oxidation in marine sediments with high manganese oxide concentrations, but the microorganisms responsible for this process are largely unknown. In this study, the acetate-utilizing manganese-reducing microbiota in geographically well-separated, manganese oxide-rich sediments from Gullmar Fjord (Sweden), Skagerrak (Norway) and Ulleung Basin (Korea) were analyzed by 16S rRNA-stable isotope probing (SIP). Manganese reduction was the prevailing terminal electron-accepting process in anoxic incubations of surface sediments, and even the addition of acetate stimulated neither iron nor sulfate reduction. The three geographically distinct sediments harbored surprisingly similar communities of acetate-utilizing manganese-reducing bacteria: 16S rRNA of members of the genera Colwellia and Arcobacter and of novel genera within the Oceanospirillaceae and Alteromonadales were detected in heavy RNA-SIP fractions from these three sediments. Most probable number (MPN) analysis yielded up to 10⁶ acetate-utilizing manganese-reducing cells cm⁻³ in Gullmar Fjord sediment. A 16S rRNA gene clone library that was established from the highest MPN dilutions was dominated by sequences of Colwellia and Arcobacter species and members of the Oceanospirillaceae, supporting the obtained RNA-SIP results. In conclusion, these findings strongly suggest that (i) acetate-dependent manganese reduction in manganese oxide-rich sediments is catalyzed by members of taxa (Arcobacter, Colwellia and Oceanospirillaceae) previously not known to possess this physiological function, (ii) similar acetate-utilizing manganese reducers thrive in geographically distinct regions and (iii) the identified manganese reducers differ greatly from the extensively explored iron reducers in marine sediments.     

Manganese Reduction by Microbes from Oxic Regions of the Lake Vanda (Antarctica) Water Column

Depth profiles of metals in Lake Vanda, a permanently ice-covered, stratified Antarctic lake, suggest the importance of particulate manganese oxides in the scavenging, transport, and release of metals. Since manganese oxides can be solubilized by manganese-reducing bacteria, microbially mediated manganese reduction was investigated in Lake Vanda. Microbes concentrated from oxic regions of the water column, encompassing a peak of soluble manganese [Mn(II)], reduced synthetic manganese oxides (MnO₂) when incubated aerobically. Pure cultures of manganese-reducing bacteria were readily isolated from waters collected near the oxic Mn(II) peak. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, most of the isolated manganese reducers belong to the genus Carnobacterium. Cultures of a phylogenetically representative strain of Carnobacterium reduced synthetic MnO₂ in the presence of sodium azide, as was seen in field assays. Unlike anaerobes that utilize manganese oxides as terminal electron acceptors in respiration, isolates of the genus Carnobacterium reduced Mn(IV) via a diffusible compound under oxic conditions. The release of adsorbed trace metals accompanying the solubilization of manganese oxides may provide populations of Carnobacterium with a source of nutrients in this extremely oligotrophic environment.     

Top-down control and its effect on the biomass and composition of three grasses at high and low soil fertility in outdoor microcosms

We used outdoor microcosms in order to freely manipulate three trophic levels (ladybird/aphid/grass) at two soil fertility levels (low and high). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) that top-down control is only a mechanistic factor at high soil fertility, and (2) that herbivory increases secondary plant succession by preferentially feeding on the fast-growing early-successional grasses. Plant biomass responded dramatically to the high soil fertility treatment, as did aphid numbers in the absence of ladybirds, and ladybird activity (ladybirds feeding on aphids). At low soil fertility, plant biomass was low, aphid numbers were small, and ladybird activity was minimal. Only at high soil fertility did top-down control cause a significant response to plant biomass and species composition. The two fast-growing, early-successional grasses (Poa annua and Arrhenatherum elatius) had a greater biomass in the presence of the ladybirds compared to when the ladybirds were absent, while the slow-growing, late-successional grass (Festuca ovina) suffered. The opposite was found when ladybirds were absent but aphids present. These results suggest that herbivory may increase the rate of secondary succession, but that top-down control of herbivory by carnivores may reduce the impact of herbivory in high productivity communities. Received: 2 May 1997 / Accepted: 25 July 1997     

Resident bacteria, nitric oxide emission and particle size modulate the effect of Brassica napus seed meal on disease incited by Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium spp

Amendment of orchard soil with low-glucosinolate Brassica napus (rape) seed meal (RSM) suppresses infection of apple roots by Rhizoctonia solani but increases incidence of Pythium spp. infection. Following incorporation of Brassica sp. seed meals, soils were monitored for changes in populations of selected saprophytic and plant pathogenic microorganisms. When conducted in pasteurized soil, which possessed high numbers of Bacillus spp. and lower than detectable numbers of Streptomyces spp., RSM amendment did not provide control of R. solani. Populations of streptomycetes in RSM-amended soil increased to stable levels >20-fold higher than in non-amended soil. Disease suppressiveness was restored to pasteurized RSM-amended soil by adding any of several Streptomyces strains. Maximal rates of nitrification in orchard soil, determined by nitric oxide emission, were observed within two weeks following RSM amendment and inhibition of nitrification via application of nitrapyrin abolished the capacity of RSM to suppress R. solani infection of apple roots when seedlings were planted one day after soil amendment. Apple seedling mortality and Pythium spp. root infection were highest for seedlings planted immediately following incorporation of B. napus cv. Athena RSM, particularly when meal was added in a flake rather than powder form. Lower infection frequencies were observed for seedlings planted four weeks after RSM incorporation, even for soil in which densities of culturable Pythium spp. had not declined. Our results demonstrate that suppression of Rhizoctonia root rot in response to RSM amendment requires the activity of the resident soil microbiota and that initial disease control is associated with the generation of nitric oxide through the process of nitrification.     

Methods for the determination of toxic levels of manganese in glasshouse soils

Summary The manganese status of the soil and the uptake of manganese by lettuce, chrysanthemums and roses were studied in pot and field experiments. The levels of water-soluble and exchangeable manganese in the soil were determined, the former by means of a 1:5 weight extract and a 1:2 volume extract, the latter by means of Morgan's solution, 1:21/2 and 1 N ammonium acetate solution, 1:25. Computation of the correlation coefficients for the relationship between the manganese contents of the soil and the crop showed that a better correlation was obtained with water soluble manganese than with exchangeable manganese. Addition of the pH and an index for the cation exchange capacity of the soil as variables increased the correlation coefficients. This occurred especially in the correlations with exchangeable manganese. The effects of the salt concentration and the salt composition of the soil on the manganese uptake of lettuce and on the manganese status of the soil were also studied in this investigation. Calcium ions proved to have a clear effect, whereas potassium ions did not. re]19760123     

The Biogeochemistry of Sediments from the Madeira Abyssal Plain — Preliminary Results

The organic biogeochemistry of surface sediments from the Madeira Abyssal Plain has been investigated. Total organic carbon contents, organic carbon to nitrogen ratios, concentrations of hydrolysable amino acids, hydrolysable carbohydrates and lipids have been determined. In one case, the detailed lipid compositions were also investigated. The sedimentary geochemistry appears to have been strongly influenced by the recent (ca. 1000 yrs.) deposition of a turbidite. Normally labile lipids are present in high concentrations through the turbidite and the numbers of the most abundant metazoan meiofauna (nematodes) closely correlates with the concentrations of the former. Concentrations of hydrolysable amino acids and carbohydrates, relative to total organic carbon, also decrease through the turbidite layer, but in the case of the carbohydrates tend to be higher in the underlying pelagic sediments. Deeper sediments are more oxidised than those at the surface. The concentration profile for manganese in one of the examined cores suggests that this anomaly arises through the action of manganese-reducing bacteria that are present in pelagic sediments underlying the turbidite.     

Growth Promotion of Fluorescent Pseudomonads and Control of Potato Common Scab in Field Soil with Non-antibiotic Actinomycete-biofertilizer

Field studies on the control of potato common scab were done with non-antibiotic Actinomycete biofertilizer, which was manufactured from swine feces with coprophilous actinomycetes and acidified to pH 5.0 with sulfuric acid. The field soil at pH 5.0 was mixed with 0.56 kg of the acidified biofertilizer per subplot (1.0 x 1.2 m) to a depth of the 15 cm. The scab severity, in terms of the percent coverage of the total surface area of potato tubers, was 10.7%, in the control, while the lesions were slight in the biofertilizer subplot, scab severity being only 2.30/0, and the potato production was increased 3 times with the biofertilizer. The viable counts of Streptomyces scabies in the biofertilizer subplot decreased to 1 × 10³ per gram soil from 5 × 10⁵ by 12 weeks, while the inhabitant fluorescent pseudomonads increased to 2.4 × 10⁷ per gram soil from 3 × 10⁴, and the increased fluorescent pseudomonads were antagonistic to the pathogenic strains.     

饲料中添加苜蓿草粉对草鱼生长、肌肉品质和血清抗氧化指标的影响

为研究苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.)草粉对草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idella)生长性能、肌肉品质和血清抗氧化指标的影响, 在基础饲料(粗蛋白: 32.0%, 粗脂肪: 4.12%)中分别添加0(对照组)、5%、10%、15%和20%的苜蓿草粉, 饲喂初始体重为(50.04±0.04) g的草鱼, 每个处理3个重复, 进行为期61d的养殖实验。结果表明: (1)与对照组相比, 20%苜蓿组的特定生长率显著降低(P<0.05), 15%苜蓿组的饲料系数和摄食率显著升高(P<0.05)。除5%苜蓿组外, 其余苜蓿添加组草鱼的肥满度显著降低(P<0.05); (2)饲料中添加苜蓿草粉显著降低草鱼肌肉中硫代巴比妥酸值和乳酸含量(P<0.05)。10%和15%苜蓿组草鱼肌肉羟脯氨酸含量显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。此外, 在添加苜蓿草粉后, 草鱼肌肉失水率显著升高(P<0.05)。除20%苜蓿组外, 其余苜蓿添加组草鱼肌肉黏附性显著升高(P<0.05), 草鱼肌肉硬度在10%苜蓿组显著高于对照组(P<0.05); (3)20%苜蓿组草鱼血清过氧化氢酶(CAT)活力显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。与对照组相比, 15%、20%苜蓿组草鱼血清谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-PX)活力显著升高, 丙二醛(MDA)含量显著降低(P<0.05)。综上所述, 当苜蓿草粉的添加量不超过15%时, 对草鱼生长性能没有显著性影响, 且能改善草鱼肌肉品质, 提高血清抗氧化能力。因此, 草鱼饲料中苜蓿草粉的添加量不应超过15%。     

Utilization of phosphorus by pasture plants supplied with myo-inositol hexaphosphate is enhanced by the presence of soil micro-organisms

A range of pasture grass (Danthonia richardsonii and Phalaris aquatica) and legume (Medicago polymorpha, M. sativa, Trifolium repens and T. subterraneum) species showed limited capacity to obtain phosphorus (P) from inositol hexaphosphate (IHP), when grown in either sterile agar (pH 5.0 or 5.5) or sand-vermiculite media (pH 5.0). The total P content of shoots from IHP-supplied plants grown in agar was between 20% and 34% of that for seedlings supplied with an equivalent amount of P as inorganic phosphate (P_i), while in sand-vermiculite, the total P content of IHP-grown plants was between 5 and 10% of control plants. The poor ability of plants to utilize P from IHP resulted in significantly lower tissue P concentrations and, in general, reduced plant dry weight accumulation. In contrast, the P nutrition of plants supplied with IHP was significantly improved by inoculating media with either a cultured population of total soil micro-organisms or with a specific isolate of Pseudomonas sp., selected for its ability to release phosphate from IHP (strain CCAR59; Richardson and Hadobas, 1997 Can. J. Micro. 43, 509-516). In agar and sand-vermiculite media, respectively, the P content of IHP-grown plants increased with inoculation by up to 3.9- and 6.8-fold, such that the dry weight and P content of the plant material were equivalent to those observed for control plants supplied with P_i. However, the response to inoculation was dependent on the growth medium and the source of micro-organisms used. In sand-vermiculite, the cultured population of soil micro-organisms was effective when IHP was supplied at an equivalent level of P_i required for maximum plant growth. By comparison, inoculation of plants with the Pseudomonas strain was only effective at very high levels of IHP supply (×36), whereas in agar a response to inoculation occurred at all levels of IHP. The ability of pasture plants to acquire P from phytate was, therefore, influenced by the availability of IHP substrate, which was further affected by the presence of soil micro-organisms. Our results show that in addition to having an effect on the sorption characteristics of the growth media, soil micro-organisms also provided a source of phytase for the dephosphorylation of phytate for subsequent utilization of P_i by plants.     

Effects of foliar sprays of daminozide on the incidence of potato common scab

Single foliar sprays of the growth retardant daminozide (1.5–12 g/l) approximately halved the incidence of common scab, caused by soil-borne Streptomyces scabies, on potted potato plants in the glasshouse. Two analogues of daminozide (N-dimethylaminomaleamic and N-(dimethylamino)-methylsuccinamic acids) also decreased scab, but others were inactive. Of 22 other unrelated growth regulators and translocated chemicals tested as foliar sprays, only gibberellic acid (0.1 g/l) decreased scab incidence, but many of the tubers were distorted. Chlormequat chloride and chlorphonium chloride, as root treatments, were inactive. In other experiments with daminozide, scab incidence was decreased after application to soil. In tests with two plants per pot, spraying one of each pair decreased its rate of stem extension, but did not affect the other, indicating that little or no daminozide passed into the soil from the roots of the sprayed plant. The decrease in scab brought about by foliar sprays was not altered by varying their timing during the period before symptom development (1 to 5 wk after potting). In agar plate tests, daminozide was only weakly toxic to S. scabies. It is concluded that daminozide probably decreased scab by altering the physiology of the plants, so that scab symptoms did not develop.     

Studies on soil fungi III. Seasonal variation and distribution of microfungi in some soils of Andhra Pradesh (India)

The seasonal variation and distribution of microfungi in four soil types collected from two districts of Andhra Pradesh (India) were studied.Besides soil type and surface vegetation, it appears from the present study that soil moisture, organic matter, potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus contents also may affect the fungal numbers favourably, while chlorides, total soluble salts, total nitrogen and manganese contents may have an adverse effect.Even alkaline soils harbour greater numbers of fungi, but small fluctuations in the pH seem to influence the fungal numbers in soils inversely.A total of 101 species representing 43 genera were isolated. These included 18 Phycomycetes, 5 Ascomycetes, 72 Fungi Imperfecti, 5 Mycelia Sterilia and a single Myxomycete. The order of occurrence of the chief genera of fungi isolated wasAspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Pythium, Curvularia, Phoma, Cunninghamella, Rhizopus, Alternaria andTrichoderma.A large number of genera and species were found common to the forest, maize field, garden and uncultivated soils; and the fungal flora was also not very much different from those recorded from various parts of the world.     

Studies in manurial values of seaweeds

Summary The effect of applying dry meal of the seaweedPachymenia himantophora to soil has been investigated. The seaweed was found to greatly increase the availability of manganese which became toxic to plant growth on acid soils. The release of manganese appears to be due to altered soil physical conditions causing waterlogging of soils low in calcium.     

Studies on the lenticel development, surface microflora and infection by common scab (Streptomyces scabies) of potato tubers growing in wet and dry soils

The mechanisms of control of potato common scab (Streptomyces scabies) by irrigation were investigated in 5 years by studying the growth and surface microflora of young potato tubers developing in wet or dry soils. Direct examination of the tuber surface by light or scanning electron microscopy showed that the newly formed internodes near the apex, which carry stomata, had a very sparse microflora. In dry soil the older internodes, which carry lenticels at a susceptible stage, were increasingly colonised by actinomycete hyphae and discrete, although sometimes large, bacterial colonies. In wet soil, actinomycetes were rarely seen on tuber surfaces but bacteria were generally scattered over them, differences not always shown by isolation from periderm pieces onto water agar. When dry scab-infested soil was wetted, scabs did not subsequently develop on the two youngest tuber internodes (A-1, A-2), which may be an example of disease escape rather than inherent resistance of the stomata. The scab control achieved in wet soil was probably caused by some form of microbial antagonism, but whether through competition or antibiosis was not established.