The microbiology of soils under successive wheat crops in relation to take-all disease

Abstract Thirty-eight wheat fields in southern England were sampled in an attempt to correlate the amount of take-all disease with 35 microbiological and chemical measurements of soil. There was little correlation between field take-all and pot tests to determine soil infectivity. Myxogastrids were important components of the soil population, being up to half of the amoebal population, and most soils contained dictyostelids, reticulate amoebae and myxobacteria. Amoebae, ciliates, bacteria and saprophytic fungi were recorded for all soils. pH was a major determinant of soil populations, being clearly correlated with fungal abundance and with numbers of ciliates, dictyostelids and bacteria. Principal component analysis separated dictyostelids from the other soil amoebae and again showed the importance of pH in determining soil microbial populations. Take-all was negatively correlated with soil fertility and positively related to nematodes and myxobacteria, but this was probably an effect of take-all, and represented saprophytic growth on dead roots rather than being a cause. Reticulate amoebae and dictyostelids were both correlated with low levels of take-all. This study emphasises the large number of interrelated populations of soil microorganisms which could have an effect on the severity of take-all infections.