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Azoxystrobin is applied early in the sugar beet growing season in north-central United States for control of Rhizoctonia damping-off and Rhizoctonia crown and root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani anastomoses groups (AGs) 4 and 2-2, respectively. Fungicide application timings based on crop growth stage and soil temperature thresholds were evaluated in inoculated small-scale trials and in commercial fields with a history of Rhizoctonia crown and root rot. Soil temperature thresholds of 10, 15, and 20°C were selected for fungicide application timings and used to test whether soil temperature could be used to better time applications of azoxystrobin. In both small- and large-plot trials, timing applications after attainment of specific soil temperature thresholds did not improve efficacy of azoxystrobin in controlling damping-off or Rhizoctonia crown and root rot compared with application timings based on either planting date, seedling development, or leaf stage in a susceptible (E-17) and a resistant (RH-5) cultivar. Application rate and split application timings of azoxystrobin had no significant effect on severity of crown and root rot. Other environmental factors such as soil moisture may interact with soil temperature to influence disease development. Cv. RH-5 had higher sugar yield attributes than the susceptible cultivar (E-17) in seasons conducive and nonconducive to crown and root rot development. All isolates recovered from both small- and large-plot trials in all years were AG 2-2. R. solani AG 4 was not identified in any samples from any year.

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Figure 1Figure 2 Pectolytic Dickeya spp. and Pectobacterium spp. are commercially important seed-borne bacteria of potato (Solanum tuberosum) that cause blackleg, soft rot and aerial stem rot (Potrykus et al., 2014;Stevenson et al., 2001). Dickeya and Pectobacterium spp. have been recovered from potato production fields in parts of the USA (Dickey, 1979;Ma et al., 2007) Five seven-week-old cv. 'Russet Norkotah' potato plants were woundinoculated by inserting a sterile 18-gauge needle just above a central leaf axil at a depth of 1 mm. A 100 μl drop of inoculum (10 6 cfu/ml) was placed on the wound. Plants were exposed to a 24 h leaf wetness period (90 to 100% relative humidity in a mist chamber) until symptom expression (Figs. 1, 2), and lesions were measured. All three inoculated plants exhibited blackening of the stem and in advanced stages, drying and cracking (Figs. 1, 2). Upon desiccation, the lesions became shriveled and turned dark brown to black. Water-inoculated controls were nonsymptomatic (Figs. 1, 2). The reisolated bacteria caused pitting on crystal violet pectate agar (Hélias et al., 2012) and exhibited the same morphology as original cultures on NBY, and were confirmed as D. dianthicola using 16S rRNA and acnA coding sequences, and P. wasabiae using rRNA, acnA and mdh coding sequences, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. dianthicola and P. wasabiae causing aerial stem rot of potato in Michigan. References