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Influence of rootstock genotype on efficacy of anaerobic soil disinfestation for control of apple nursery replant disease

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Abstract

Apple replant disease (ARD) in production nurseries can negatively impact commercial viability by diminishing tree quality and potentially serving as a source of pathogen inoculum. The current study was carried out to determine the potential for plant genotype to influence anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) disease control efficacy. M.9, G.41, and G.935 apple rootstock genotypes were employed. ASD was conducted using orchard grass as the carbon input (10 t ha−1 or 20 t ha −1). Rootstock growth in ASD-treated soils was comparable to that attained in response to soil pasteurization or fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene/chloropicrin (FUM) in both greenhouse (GT) and nursery field trials (NFT). In GT, Rhizoctonia solani AG-5 root infection and growth performance varied with rootstock genotype and soil treatment. ASD reduced pathogen DNA quantity in roots and improved rootstock growth. Genotype, but not soil treatment, influenced root infestation by Pythium ultimum and R. solani in the NFT. ASD with grass input at 20 t ha −1 improved soil nutrient levels, especially NO3− N, and provided significant weed control in the NFT. Treatments significantly altered composition of the bulk soil and rhizosphere microbiome in GT and these effects were prolonged in ASD-treated soils. In NFT, ASD conducted with orchard grass was uniformly as effective as FUM in the control of ARD and increase in trunk diameter increment, the primary determinant of apple rootstock value. This ASD treatment can be suggested as a potential method for effective control of nursery replant disease across rootstock genotypes varying in disease tolerance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, under award number 2016 -51102-25815. Authors acknowledge Trident AG Products Inc. (Woodland, WA) for supporting this research by generously conducting soil fumigation. We also thank Danielle Graham for taxonomic identification of weed species, and Sheila K. Ivanov, Xiaowen Xiao, Kevin Hansen, Edward Valdez, Drew Reed, Parama Sikdar, Emmi Klarer, Cyrus Desmaris, Joy Lawless and Steven Lawless for their excellent technical support in this study.

Funding

As stated in acknowledgements, this work was funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, under award number 2016–51102-25,815.

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  1. Shashika S. Hewavitharana

    Present address: Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA

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  1. Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, 1100 N. Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA, 98801, USA

    Shashika S. Hewavitharana

  2. United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Tree Fruit Research Lab, 1104 N. Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA, 98801, USA

    Mark Mazzola

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Hewavitharana, S.S., Mazzola, M. Influence of rootstock genotype on efficacy of anaerobic soil disinfestation for control of apple nursery replant disease. Eur J Plant Pathol 157, 39–57 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-01977-z

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