Managing Soilborne Plant Diseases and Arthropod Pests of Vegetables

1. Managing Soilborne Plant Diseases and Arthropod Pests of Vegetables Meg McGrath and Mary Barbercheck

2. Crop Rotations Know Your Pest Above-Ground Diversity to Favor Beneficials Reduce Pest Habitat Provide Beneficial Habitat Minimal Pesticide Use Pest and Disease Suppression Healthy Plants! Healthy Soil Add Organic Matter Crop Rotations Minimize Tillage to Conserve OM Below-Ground Diversity Minimal Use of Synthetic Pesticides & Fertilizers

3. In 1 teaspoon of soil there are…

4. Ecosystem Services Provided by Soil Organisms • Decomposition and nutrient cycling • Carbon sequestration • Maintenance of plant diversity • Bioremediation • Biological control of pests

6. Survival of Soilborne Pathogens and Insect Pests • In crop debris • In seed • On alternate hosts (including weeds) • As specialized, protective, dormant or quiescent stage • (e.g., fungal sclerotia, nematode cysts, pupae) • In insect or nematode vectors - pathogens • As saprophytes or by omnivory

7. White Mold

8. Biocontrol of Soilborne PestsMechanisms • Direct action on pathogens + invertebrate pests: • Competition (plant pathogens) • Antagonism (e.g., antibiotic production) • Predation • Parasitism and disease • Indirect (e.g., through host effect) • Induced resistance • Growth promotion

9. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilApproaches • Conservation • Augmentative • Inundative • Classical

10. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilConservation • Improve environment for beneficial organisms in field • e.g., increase soil organic matter, minimize tillage, conserve surface residues • Can favor some pathogens and pests!

11. Conservation BiocontrolMicroorganisms in Soil Bacteria Actinomycetes Fungi Mycorrhizae

12. Conservation BiocontrolPredatory Microarthropods in Soil Ground beetle and Rove beetle larvae Mesostigmatid mite Centipede Japygid Pseudoscorpion

13. Conservation BiocontrolSoil Surface Beneficials Ground and Rove Beetles

14. Conservation BiocontrolSoil Surface Spiders

15. Soil Management and European Corn Borer (Phelan et al., 1995)

16. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilAugmentation • Apply products or materials (e.g., compost) to augment beneficial organisms already present • This approach builds populations of organisms already present but in numbers too low for effective pest management

17. Understory Management in Apples(Mathews et al. 2002) a b b b

18. Understory Management in Apples(Mathews et al. 2002) a b b b

19. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilInundation • Apply products or materials in same manner as a pesticide • This approach introduces large numbers of organisms for relatively fast-acting control

20. Products for Soil Arthropod Biological Control • Steinernema spp. • Heterorhabditis spp. • Hypoaspismiles (predatory soil mites) • Atheta coriaria (generalist predator)

21. Signs and symptoms of nematode infection

22. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilClassical • Introduce a non-native organisms to control a non-native pest • Intention is establishment of beneficial organism for long-term, low input pest management Introduce beneficial Establishment and control

23. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilSome Challenges • Soil abiotic or biotic environment may not support sufficient numbers of beneficials for control • Pest not present or in adequate number to support beneficials • Some biocontrols are very specific. Others are generalists • Environmental conditions affect efficacy; performance can be inconsistent

24. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilRegulations • Microbial and chemical products claiming control must be registered as pesticides with US EPA. Must be registered in state. • Beneficial macro-organisms exempt from EPA registration • Efficacy data not required for registration • Safety to environment + nontarget organisms is focus of registration

25. Biocontrol of Pests in SoilRegulations • Efficacy data from replicated experiments often lacking , especially for vegetable uses!! • EPA/IR-4 Biopesticide Demonstration Grant Program

26. Bacterial and fungal biocontrol species in commercially-available disease-control products • Gliocladium virens • Trichoderma harzianum and other species • Bacillus subtilis, B. pumilus, etc. • Pseudomonas syringie • Coniothyrium minitans • Streptomyces sp.

27. Efficacy - Biocontrol Products - Greenhouse Ornamentals # Experiments Effective Ineffective Companion 0 3 Deny 0 1 Mycostop 0 4 PlantShield 0 4 Primastop 1 3 Rootshield 3 11 SoilGard 2 6 Pathogens: Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Thielaviopsis

28. Mycostop Biofungicide Label Contents Keep Out of Reach of Children CAUTION PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS Hazards to Humans and Domestic Animals Harmful if inhaled. Avoid breathing dust or spray mist. Causes moderate eye irritation. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing.

29. AGRICULTURAL USE REQUIREMENTS Use this product only in accordance with its labeling and with the Worker Protection Standard, 40 CFR Part 170. This Standard contains requirements for the protection of agricultural workers on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses, and handlers of agricultural pesticides. It contains requirements for training, decontamination, notification and emergency assistance. It also contains specific instructions and exceptions pertaining to the statements on this label about personal protective equipment (PPE) and restricted-entry interval. The requirements in this box only apply to uses of this product that are covered by the Worker Protection Standard. Do not enter or allow worker entry into treated areas during the restricted-entry interval (REI) of 4 hours. Exception: If the product is soil injected or soil incorporated, the Worker Protection Standard, under certain circumstances, allows workers to enter the treated area if there will be no contact with anything that has been treated. PPE required for early entry to treated areas that is permitted under the Worker Protection Standard and that involves contact with anything that has been treated, such as plants, soil or water is: Long-sleeved shirt and long pants Waterproof gloves Shoes plus socks Dust/mist filtering respirator with MSHA/NIOSH-approval number prefix TC-21C or a NIOSH-approved respirator with any approval number prefix N-95, R-95 or P-95 or HE filter.

30. Products for Soil Arthropod Microbial Control • Microbial Control • Bacillus (Paenibacillus) popilliae • Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis • Beauveria spp.

31. Suppression of Plant Disease Induction of Systemic Acquired Resistance Systemic Acquired Resistance Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Compost Vetch Mulch Other Microbes

32. Suppression of Cucumber Beetles/Corn Rootworms and Bacterial Wilt • Beetles feed on cucurbits, prefer plants high in bitter cucurbitacin • PGPR reduce bitter cucurbitacins • Less attractive to beetles • Less damage and bacterial wilt

33. Amending Soil with Compost to Increase Activity of Beneficial Microbes that Suppress Pathogens or Induce Resistance

34. Compost Soil Amendment - Tomato Organic - Farm - Cannery-waste Compost Anthracnose reduced in 1998 (high rate) Conventional - Plots - Yard-waste Compost Anthracnose incidence NOT affected Bacterial spot reduced in 1997. Foliar disease severity increased. Research conducted at OSU, 1997-1998

35. Phytophthora Blight

36. Amending soil with compost

37. Annual Compost Soil Amendments 20 dry tons/A = 40-45 wet tons/A. Spread and incorporated in June. 2001. Brewery-waste compost. Pumpkin. 2002. Yard-waste compost. Sweet corn. 2003. Yard-waste compost. Snap bean. 2004. Yard-waste compost. Pumpkin.

38. Efficacy of Brewery-Waste Compost for Phytophthora Blight in Pumpkin Treatment % Blighted # Good Fruit (17 Sept 2001) (20 Sept 2001) Nontreated 70 a (13 - 99) 20 a (4 - 41) Compost * 81 a (4 - 100) 12 a (0 - 48) * 45 wet tons/A (20 dry tons/A) spread on 5 June 2001, then incorporated. Pumpkins direct-seeded on 28 June 2001.

39. Impact of Compost Amendments, 2001 - 2004 Organic Matter (std Soil Analysis) Treatment June 2003 Sept 2004 May 2005 Nontreated 3.2 3.4 2.4 Compost * 4.0 5.9 3.9 * 40-45 wet tons/A (20 dry tons/A) applied June 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004. Soil sampled before compost amendment. Rotation: pumpkin, sweet corn, snap bean, pumpkin.

40. Impact of Compost Amendments, 2001 - 2004 Particulate Organic Matter (2003) Treatment <250 mm 250 mm-2 mm > 2 mm Nontreated 0.23 0.10 0.03 Compost * 0.43 0.47 0.28 * 40-45 wet tons/A (20 dry tons/A) applied June 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004. Rotation: pumpkin, sweet corn, snap bean, pumpkin.

41. Compost-amended Plots 7/28/04

42. Efficacy - 4 Years of Compost - Phytophthora % Fruit with Phytophthora Treatment 13 Oct 1 Nov Nontreated 8 a (0 - 38) 23 a (0 - 67) Compost * 4 a (0 - 17) 20 a (2 - 48) * 40 wet tons/A (20 dry tons/A) applied June 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004. Rotation: pumpkin, sweet corn, snap bean, pumpkin.

43. Mycorrhizal Inoculants Arbuscular mycorrhizae aka endomycorrhizal fungi Natural symbiotic fungi - healthy roots Root system larger and more active Plants tolerate root pathogens Reduced growth of pathogens Increased host resistance? Competition for resources?

44. Using Cover Crops for Control of Fruit Rot in Pumpkin Research in OH + MD:suppression ofFusarium fruit rot, gummy stem blight,Microdochium blight.Also powdery mildew. Hairy vetch and/or rye.

45. 7/28/04 5/12 plastic laid 5/14 Dutch white clover seeded