Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System
Diseases caused by soilborne pathogens are a major limitation to field grown nursery production. The application of cover crops for soilborne disease management has not been widely investigated in a woody ornamental nursery production system. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/995 |
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| author | Milan Panth Fulya Baysal-Gurel Terri Simmons Karla M. Addesso Anthony Witcher |
| author_facet | Milan Panth Fulya Baysal-Gurel Terri Simmons Karla M. Addesso Anthony Witcher |
| author_sort | Milan Panth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Diseases caused by soilborne pathogens are a major limitation to field grown nursery production. The application of cover crops for soilborne disease management has not been widely investigated in a woody ornamental nursery production system. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of winter cover crops usage on soilborne disease management in that system. Soils from established field plots of red maple (<i>Acer rubrum</i> L.) with and without winter cover crops (crimson clover (<i>Trifolium incarnatum</i> L.) or triticale (× <i>Triticosecale</i> W.)) were sampled following the senescence of the cover crops. Separate bioassays were performed using red maple cuttings on inoculated (with <i>Phytopythium vexans</i>, <i>Phytophthora nicotianae</i> or <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i>) and non-inoculated field soils. The results indicated that winter cover crop usage was helpful for inducing soil disease suppressiveness. There was lower disease severity and pathogen recovery when the cover crops were used compare to the non-cover cropped soil. However, there were no differences in maple plant fresh weight and root weight between the treatments. The rhizosphere pseudomonad microbial population was also greater when the cover crops were used. Similarly, the C:N ratio of the soil was improved with the cover crop usage. Thus, in addition to improving soil structure and reducing erosion, cover crops can provide improved management of soilborne diseases. Therefore, stakeholders can consider cover crop usage as an alternative sustainable management tool against soilborne diseases in field nursery production system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:32:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-55c30ff401aa467daf304f13b951a3a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:32:32Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-55c30ff401aa467daf304f13b951a3a32023-11-20T06:27:58ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-07-0110799510.3390/agronomy10070995Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production SystemMilan Panth0Fulya Baysal-Gurel1Terri Simmons2Karla M. Addesso3Anthony Witcher4Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN 37110, USADepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN 37110, USADepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN 37110, USADepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN 37110, USADepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN 37110, USADiseases caused by soilborne pathogens are a major limitation to field grown nursery production. The application of cover crops for soilborne disease management has not been widely investigated in a woody ornamental nursery production system. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of winter cover crops usage on soilborne disease management in that system. Soils from established field plots of red maple (<i>Acer rubrum</i> L.) with and without winter cover crops (crimson clover (<i>Trifolium incarnatum</i> L.) or triticale (× <i>Triticosecale</i> W.)) were sampled following the senescence of the cover crops. Separate bioassays were performed using red maple cuttings on inoculated (with <i>Phytopythium vexans</i>, <i>Phytophthora nicotianae</i> or <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i>) and non-inoculated field soils. The results indicated that winter cover crop usage was helpful for inducing soil disease suppressiveness. There was lower disease severity and pathogen recovery when the cover crops were used compare to the non-cover cropped soil. However, there were no differences in maple plant fresh weight and root weight between the treatments. The rhizosphere pseudomonad microbial population was also greater when the cover crops were used. Similarly, the C:N ratio of the soil was improved with the cover crop usage. Thus, in addition to improving soil structure and reducing erosion, cover crops can provide improved management of soilborne diseases. Therefore, stakeholders can consider cover crop usage as an alternative sustainable management tool against soilborne diseases in field nursery production system.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/995soilborne disease<i>Phytopythium vexans</i><i>Rhizoctonia solani</i><i>Phytophthora nicotianae</i>cover cropnursery production |
| spellingShingle | Milan Panth Fulya Baysal-Gurel Terri Simmons Karla M. Addesso Anthony Witcher Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System Agronomy soilborne disease <i>Phytopythium vexans</i> <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i> <i>Phytophthora nicotianae</i> cover crop nursery production |
| title | Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System |
| title_full | Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System |
| title_short | Impact of Winter Cover Crop Usage in Soilborne Disease Suppressiveness in Woody Ornamental Production System |
| title_sort | impact of winter cover crop usage in soilborne disease suppressiveness in woody ornamental production system |
| topic | soilborne disease <i>Phytopythium vexans</i> <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i> <i>Phytophthora nicotianae</i> cover crop nursery production |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/995 |
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