Samen met ondernemers naar een duurzame bodem (BO-31.03-001-017, BO-12.03-002-032)

The occurrence of diseases in agriculture and horticulture is often related to the suppressiveness of diseases of the soil. A higher soil suppressiveness and the knowledge how to influence the level of suppressiveness increase the durability of the soil treatments, decreases the chance on yield depressions and decreases the use of crop protection products. The goal of the project is to test the influence of cultivation measures on soil suppressiveness and the occurrence of soil borne pest and diseases.

This project combines the extra cultivation measures to be taken in strawberry and potato and combines on a different level the experience of growers with the results of related long term soil treatment trials. In 2014 the soil suppressiveness of treatments in the system trial on ‘better soil treatment’ is studied in the potato-rhizoctonia pathosystem. Also the soil suppressiveness against the nematode Meloidogyne hapla is studied if financial means are sufficient. The same studies are applied to the soils of growers in the organic matter network: Praktijknetwerk sturen op organische stof. In this network growers experiment on treatments to increase the organic matter level. The soil suppressiveness of these soils is analysed.