Electron Beam Irradiation to Control Rhizoctonia solani in Potato

Abstract

This study focuses on the influence of pre-planting irradiation on the development, health, and yield of seed potatoes infected with Rhizoctonia solani. The research was prompted by the need to ensure crop security and sustainability in the modern-day environment, which calls into question the future sufficiency of crop yields. Considering that the focus has shifted to non-chemical methods of crop treatment at all plant development stages in response to more stringent regulations governing potato production, it is particularly important to refine physics-based methods to suppress fungal diseases caused by Rhizoctonia solani. Irradiation of tubers with 20–150 Gy inhibited the potato development phases and the doses exceeding 150 Gy completely suppressed the potato sprouting. Doses ranging from 20 Gy to 100 Gy decreased the quantity of large tubers by 10–20% on average while the number of medium and small tubers increased by 5–15% and 3–10%, respectively. Irradiation of seed potatoes also decreased the sclerotia and non-sclerotia forms of diseases caused by Rhizoctonia solani in the harvested tubers. It was found that 1 MeV electron irradiation with doses ranging from 20 Gy to 30 Gy is the most efficient for the pre-planting treatment of seed potatoes since the penetration of low-energy accelerated electrons into the upper layers of potato tubers ensures the suppression of diseases caused by Rhizoctonia solani by at least 10% from the value of non-irradiated samples and prevents the reduction of total yield allowing for a maximum of 25% loss.

Electron Beam Processing of Biological Objects and Materials

“…Irradiation to suppress microbial contamination in biological and non-biological objects requires a more complex approach since the desired effect is achieved with a precise combination of the absorbed dose, dose rate, and electron energy [37,38]. Moreover, the dose range for biological objects is commonly narrower compared with metals, minerals, and other non-organic objects due to their chemical complexity.…”

Hemoglobin Derivatives in Beef Irradiated with Accelerated Electrons

“…Considering that electron beams have proved to be more efficient than gamma radiation generated by radioisotopes, irradiation facilities are frequently equipped with electron accelerators, as they can ensure a higher treatment rate and a diverse penetration depth by varying the energy of electrons [3]. Various beam penetration depths enabled by electron accelerators allow the solving of a wide range of tasks, from an increase in the plant growth rate with doses of 5-20 Gy [4] to sterilization of food with a dose up to 10 kGy [5], which is the maximum permissible dose for food irradiation pursuant to international standards [6]. Despite the fact that the International Organization for Standardization specifies the maximum doses applicable to different categories of food, each type of food should be irradiated within a specific dose range to ensure microbiological safety without detriment to the properties of the final product.…”

Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Mix Suppresses Rhizoctonia Disease and Improves Rhizosphere Microbiome, Growth and Yield of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

“…Frank) Donk) [1]. The presence of the fungus R. solani leads to worldwide crop losses of 25-30% every year, rising to 60-80% for highly susceptible varieties [2,3].…”