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Biochar effect on severity of soybean root disease caused by Fusarium virguliforme

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Abstract

Background and aims

Biochar is known to decrease soil bulk density, increase nutrient and water retention, and to suppress certain soil-borne pathogens. The aims of our glasshouse and field experiments were to; 1) determine whether biochar amendments impact the severity of soybean root rot caused by Fusarium virguliforme; 2) to determine if biochar reduces severity of root rot by changes in physicochemical properties of soil; 3) whether biochar induces systemic resistance to root rot in soybean plants.

Results

Results of the first glasshouse pot study indicate that biochars differ significantly in their effect on root rot caused by F. virguliforme, as two of eight biochars significantly suppressed root rot severity. Results for the second glasshouse pot study indicate that disease suppression was not related to changes in soil physicochemical properties (bulk density, soil moisture, soil pH). A third split-root experiment provided no evidence that biochar amendments are capable of inducing systemic resistance in soybean plants. Results of the small plot experiment proved that biochar was effective at reducing visual above ground symptoms of SDS, but did not affect soybean grain yields.

Conclusions

Both systemic and indirect effects of biochar on SDS root rot severity have been eliminated in the present study; further research is needed to determine whether suppression of root rot severity is related to changes in soil microbial communities induced by biochar.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was provided by the Iowa Soybean Association. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Natalia Rogovska, David Laird & Deborah Aller

  2. Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Leonor Leandro

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  1. Natalia Rogovska
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  2. David Laird
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  4. Deborah Aller
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Correspondence to Natalia Rogovska.

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Rogovska, N., Laird, D., Leandro, L. et al. Biochar effect on severity of soybean root disease caused by Fusarium virguliforme . Plant Soil 413, 111–126 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-3086-8

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