Abstract
Soil-borne pathogens can cause serious economic damage in agricultural crops.
However, disease resistant cultivars are not always available and chemical control has environmental draw backs. Soil disinfestation as well as preventive pesticide application is often not allowed anymore. Improving plant resilience and enhancing soil suppressiveness against diseases are environmentally friendly strategies to grow healthy crops. The addition of organic (waste) products in soil is one management strategy that supports soil quality as well as soil suppressiveness against certain diseases.
In our research we demonstrated a reduction in Pythium infection in tomato plants when compost was added to potting soil. Disease reduction varied from 30-60% in different experiments. Biochar was less effective in reducing Pythium infection than compost.
However, addition of a microbial inoculant, an antagonistic strain of Pseudomonas chlororaphis, improved suppressiveness of the biochar. These results show that compost as well as the addition of a microbial inoculant to potting soil or supplied in animal bone char, will enhance the disease suppressiveness of the growing system.
However, disease resistant cultivars are not always available and chemical control has environmental draw backs. Soil disinfestation as well as preventive pesticide application is often not allowed anymore. Improving plant resilience and enhancing soil suppressiveness against diseases are environmentally friendly strategies to grow healthy crops. The addition of organic (waste) products in soil is one management strategy that supports soil quality as well as soil suppressiveness against certain diseases.
In our research we demonstrated a reduction in Pythium infection in tomato plants when compost was added to potting soil. Disease reduction varied from 30-60% in different experiments. Biochar was less effective in reducing Pythium infection than compost.
However, addition of a microbial inoculant, an antagonistic strain of Pseudomonas chlororaphis, improved suppressiveness of the biochar. These results show that compost as well as the addition of a microbial inoculant to potting soil or supplied in animal bone char, will enhance the disease suppressiveness of the growing system.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Advanced Compost and Biochar Processing: Solution for Economical Phosphorus Recovery Conference |
| Subtitle of host publication | Conference presentations and abstract booklet |
| Publisher | REFERTIL |
| Pages | 11 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
| Event | Advanced Compost and Biochar Processing: Solution for Economical Phosphorus Recovery Conference - Toledo, Spain Duration: 17 Sept 2015 → 18 Sept 2015 |
Conference
| Conference | Advanced Compost and Biochar Processing: Solution for Economical Phosphorus Recovery Conference |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Spain |
| City | Toledo |
| Period | 17/09/15 → 18/09/15 |