Effect of Organic Amendments on Soilborne and Foliar Diseases in Field-Grown Snap Bean and Cucumber

Abstract

Several paper mills in Wisconsin have programs for spreading paper mill residuals (PMR) on land. A growing number of vegetable farmers recognize the agronomic benefits of PMR applications, but there have been no investigations on the use of PMR for control of vegetable crop diseases. Our objective was to determine the effect of PMR amendments on soilborne and foliar diseases of cucumber and snap bean grown on a sandy soil. Raw PMR, PMR composted without bulking agent (PMRC), or PMR composted with bark (PMRBC) were applied annually in a 3-year rotation of potato, snap bean, and pickling cucumber. Several naturally occurring diseases were evaluated in the field, along with in situ field bioassays. All amendments suppressed cucumber damping-off and Pythium blight and foliar brown spot of snap bean. Both composts reduced the incidence of angular leaf spot in cucumber. In a separate field experiment planted with snap bean for two consecutive years, all amendments reduced common root rot severity in the second year. In a greenhouse experiment, the high rate of PMRBC suppressed anthracnose of snap bean. These results suggest that the application of raw and composted PMR to sandy soils has the potential to control several soilborne and foliar diseases.

Mechanism of Action and Efficacy of Seed Meal-Induced Pathogen Suppression Differ in a Brassicaceae Species and Time-Dependent Manner

“…Amendment rates employed in this and previous studies (10,11,24,25) are equivalent to the application of seed meal at 8 to 10 t ha -1 . These rates equate to an amount that ranges from <1 to 25% of that recently used in the evaluation of composts in greenhouse, apple orchard, and other field-level production systems (5,33,36,37). Seed meal sourced from the same Brassica sp.…”

Spatial Heterogeneity of Crenarchaeal Assemblages within Mesophilic Soil Ecosystems as Revealed by PCR-Single-Stranded Conformation Polymorphism Profiling

“…The soil type, Plainfield sand (Typic Udipsamment), was consistent throughout all of the plots, and the plots were treated identically (46). These samples revealed a heterogeneous distribution of phylotypes that was not correlated with horizontal distance.…”

“…4), that were part of a randomized, replicated field trial. Each plot was 3.7 by 7.6 m. Plot layout and crop history are described elsewhere (46). At the time of soil collection for this study, the plots had been fallow for 8 months.…”

General Suppression of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Sand-Based Dairy Livestock Bedding

“…General suppression of plant pathogens is mediated by the quantity and quality of soil organic matter that supports the resident microbial populations (20,32). Indeed, judicious applications of soil organic matter can result in the suppression of diverse plant diseases in field and greenhouse systems (43,47). However, complex interactions in the environment can significantly affect the suppressiveness of such amendments (6, 41).…”