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Removal of Plant Pathogen Propagules from Irrigation Runoff using Slow Filtration Systems: Quantifying Physical and Biological Components

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Abstract

Recycling irrigation water is a common practice at ornamental plant nurseries for conserving water; however, it poses the risk of sourcing and dispersing waterborne plant pathogens, especially species of Phytophthora. Slow sand filtration is a water treatment process that can remove pathogens from water, but the slow rate of water treatment may limit its application at nursery operations. In this study, four novel substrates (crushed brick, calcined clay, polyethylene beads, and Kaldnes® medium) in addition to sand were examined to determine how effective each substrate was at removing zoospores of Phytophthora nicotianae from water. The effects of substrate physical parameters, substrate depths (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 cm), and microbe density (after nursery effluent was recirculated through each substrate for 21 days) on zoospore removal by each substrate were quantified. Sand was the most effective physical filter and supported development of the best biological filter for removing zoospores. Sand columns 40 and 60 cm deep removed zoospores completely using physical filtration alone, and zoospore removal by sand at 10- and 20-cm depths was increased with the addition of biological filtration. Kaldnes® medium and polyethylene beads were the least effective filtration substrates under all conditions tested. After 21 days of recirculating nursery effluent through substrate columns, microbe density in and zoospore removal by all substrates increased. With further optimization, crushed brick may have potential to be utilized as a recycled material for a slow filtration system focused on removing plant pathogens from irrigation water.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Resource Service, Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative specific cooperative agreement #58-6618-2-0209 for “Environmental Resource Management Systems for Nurseries, Greenhouses, and Landscapes” for funding this research. We thank Y. Arai, T. L. McNealy, I. M. Meadows, and S. J. Klaine for technical advice and L. E. Beecher for designing and building the PVC column and recirculating water system used in all experiments. Technical contribution no. 6257 of the Clemson University Experiment Station. This material is based upon work supported by the NIFA/USDA under project numbers SC-1700398 and SC-1700309.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Elizabeth T. Nyberg

  2. School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, E-143 Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson, SC, 29634-0310, USA

    Sarah A. White & Steven N. Jeffers

  3. Department of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    William. C. Bridges

Authors
  1. Elizabeth T. Nyberg
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  2. Sarah A. White
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  3. Steven N. Jeffers
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  4. William. C. Bridges
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Correspondence to Sarah A. White.

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Nyberg, E.T., White, S.A., Jeffers, S.N. et al. Removal of Plant Pathogen Propagules from Irrigation Runoff using Slow Filtration Systems: Quantifying Physical and Biological Components. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 1999 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-1999-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-1999-5

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