Soilborne diseases
of vegetables
Beth K. Gugino
Department of Plant Pathology
and Environmental Microbiology
Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention
21 February 2013
Focus on soilborne pathogens
Significantly reduce yields and quality
Many are soil inhabitors not just invaders and
often can survive a saprophytes on any organic
debris
Vegetables are susceptible to multiple pathogens
resulting in disease complexes
Difficult to predict, detect and diagnose in part
due to the complexity of the soil environment
Many cause root rots and wilts but some also
infect the foliage like white mold
The Disease Triangle
THE FOUNDATION OF
DISEASE
MANAGEMENT
PATHOGEN
No
Disease Disease
No
No
Disease
Disease
No No No
Disease Disease Disease
SUSCEPTIBLE ENVIRONMENT
HOST
Causal organisms (pathogens)
Fungi and oomycetes Nematodes
Fusarium Meloidogyne (root-knot)
Rhizoctonia Praylenchus (lesion)
Verticillium Heterodera (cyst)
Pythium Bacteria
Phytophthora Streptomyces
Aphanomyces Burkholderia
Sclerotinia Pectobacterium
Viruses
(need a living host)
Lettuce necrotic stunt virus
Where do the pathogens come from?
Some come in on
infected transplants and
infested seed or other
planting material
Infested soil brought in
on equipment, tools,
storage containers, and
people
Contaminated irrigation
water
e.g. Phytophthora capisici
How do the pathogens survive?
Fungi survive as saprobes in last years infected
host plant or other organic debris
Free-living organisms directly in the soil
Produce resistant
structures on the
host crop that are
released during
tillage and
decomposition
Sclerotia in a tomato stem
Sclerotia Microsclerotia on garlic
Withstand temp
extremes, dry
conditions, periods
w/o a suitable host
Sclerotium cepivorum
Sclerotia on snap bean
Sclerotia on potato
Rhizoctonia solani AG-3
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Other survival structures
Oospores (oomycetes) –
Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp.,
Aphanomyces spp.
Chlamydospores –
Fusarium spp., oomycetes,
Thievaliopsis spp.
Resting spore –
Plasmodiophora brassicae
Pathogen distribution in the soil
Highly dependent on production practices and
cropping history
Horizontally, distribution is typically aggregated
Vertically, inoculum typically resides in the
root zone of the soil profile
Factors that influence pathogen infection
Soil moisture and temperature
Many diseases are more
severe with high soil
moistures
Anaerobic conditions
damage/weaken roots
more susceptible to
seed rots, damping-off
and root rots
Factors that influence pathogen infection
Soil pH Clubroot of crucifers
(Plasmodiophora brassicae)
Common scab of potato
(Streptomyces spp.)
dry soils pH 6.0 to 7.0
pH 5.7 or lower
Factors that influence pathogen infection
Soil type, texture, and
quality
Inherent soil quality
results from natural soil
forming processes and
factors (type, texture)
Dynamic soil quality
results from changes due
to human use and
management
General management strategies
Cultural practices are often most effective
Same strategies don’t work in all systems or on
all pathogens
Must consider the pathogen(s) and cropping
system to determine what combination of
strategies are appropriate for your fields and farm
Short-term/in-season practices
e.g. seed trt, fungicide applications, resistant cvs.
Long-term practices
Improve soil condition, reduce inoculum
General management strategies
Long-term practices should focus on
alleviating soil constraints or barriers to crop
production such as:
Poor aggregation and soil crusting
Soil compaction and poor drainage
Ray Weil, Univ. MD
Soil health
http://soilhealth.cals.
cornell.edu
Additional
resource
http://www.sare.or
g/Learning-
Center/Books
General management strategies
All pathogens have a host range...
range
that can be either very large or very small
Examples:
Pythium spp. will infect most vegetables
Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae will only
infect cucurbit crops
Crop rotation is difficult for soil inhabitors due to
the production of long-lived survival structures
More specific management strategies
Damping-off and
root rots
White mold
Phytophthora
blight
Damping-off and root rots of vegetables
Caused by a wide array of soilborne fungi that
typically have a wide host range
Pythium spp., Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia solani
Select high quality and vigorous seed
Plant when conditions will
promote rapid seed
germination and seedling
growth
Damping-off and root rots of vegetables
Plant less susceptible cultivars
Pea variety trial, Genesee
Co. NY, 2008
Damping-off and root rots of vegetables
Plant less susceptible cultivars
Pea variety trial, Genesee
Co. NY, 2008
Boogie Tonic ES 414
Damping-off and root rots of vegetables
Seed treatments specific as to the type of fungi
they control and more effective in an IPM program
Commonly used seed treatments include:
Captan (broad-spectrum protectant)
Fludioxonil (e.g. Maxim) for Fusarium, Rhizoctonia
Thiram (broad-spectrum protectant)
Metalaxyl and mefenoxam (e.g. Ridomil or
Ridomil Gold, Allegiance FL, Apron) for water
molds like Pythium, Phytophthora
Azoxystrobin (eg. Dynasty) for Rhizoctonia
Others……
Damping-off and root rots of vegetables
Biological seed treatments
Kodiak (Bacillus subtilis; Bayer CropSciences)
Mycostop (Streptomyces grieseoviridis, Verdera)
SoilGard (Gliocladium virens, Certis)
Rootshield (Trichoderma harzianum, BioWorks)
Actinovate (Streptomyces lydicus, Natural Industries)
In general, research studies have yielded
inconsistent results with use of these products.
Damping-off and root rots of vegetables
Soil treatments applied in-furrow or over the row
at planting
Products are the same or
contain many of the same
chemistries as the available
seed treatments
Fungicide resistance is less of a concern with
soilborne pathogens (only 1 to few generations
per year) however, apply seed trts and in-furrow
fungicides from different FRAC codes
C. Hardy, Univ. Kentucky bugwood.org
Phytophthora Blight
Caused by P. capsici a water mold
(oomycete) like downy mildew
Affects wide range of hosts that
include vegetable crops and weeds
Cucurbit hosts Solanaceous hosts M. Hausbeck, MSU
Cantaloupe Bell pepper
Cucumber Hot pepper
Gourd Eggplant
Honeydew melon Tomato
Pumpkin
Summer squash Leguminous hosts
Watermelon (only since early 2000’s)
Winter squash Snap bean
Zucchini Lima bean
Phytophthora Blight
H. Schwartz, CSU, bugwood.org
Phytophthora Blight
Legume crops
the “newest” host
Helene Dillard, Cornell
Chris Smart, Cornell
Chris Smart, Cornell Helene Dillard, Cornell
How does Phytophthora
blight spread?
Optimum temp 75 to 91°F
Saturated soils
Zoospores
30 - 40 each
Sporangia
Photos: Chris Smart, Cornell
How does Phytophthora
blight survive?
A1
A2
A1 A2
Mohammad Babadoost, Univ Illinois
Oospores
Germinating oospores
Photos: Chris Smart, Cornell
Phytophthora blight management
First line of defense =
Keep Phytophthora out!
Don’t dispose of culled
plants or fruit in a
vegetable field.
Clean equipment,
equipment tools and
boots between fields.
Know where your irrigation
water comes from – surface
water vs wells.
Phytophthora blight management
Phytophthora baiting from irrigation water
Trap deployed in irrigation pond for 5‐7 days
to attract Phytophthora species
Slide courtesy of Chris Smart, Cornell
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Avoid planting severely
infested field or low
areas of the field.
Improve soil drainage –
deep ripping of subsoil,
raised beds (not vining
crops), avoid water
pooling at base of plant,
monitor irrigation, plant
drives.
Phytophthora blight management
Biofumigant crops
Timely incorporation of a cover crop as a green
manure with the ability to release toxic products
that are lethal to the soil microbiota upon
decomposition
Brassica
Sudangrass
Phytophthora blight and mustards
Caliente 199 mustard on Long Island, NY
Plant early spring (10lb/A)
50 to 100lb N to
increase mustard
biomass
Incorporate 5 to 6
weeks following
flowering – flail chop
then incorporate
(cultipack)
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Plant tolerant varieties
Variety Tolerance
Sweet Peppers High Moderate None
Intruder x
Paladin x
Aristotle x
Declaration x
Revolution x
Vanguard x Harder rinded
Karisma x pumpkins have
Red Knight x a little tolerance.
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Crop rotation every year out of a susceptible
host reduces the number of viable oospores
Manage weed hosts such as American black
nightshade, common purslane, Carolina
geranium
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Rogue out infected
plants when possible
– the sooner the
better!
Infected plants in the
field serve as an
inoculum source for
later in the season.
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Chemical fungicide options
Phosphorous acid fungicides
(Agri-Fos, ProPhyt, Phostrol, Fosphite)
Apply early in the season or at
planting (check label for
specific directions)
Phosphite ion directly
affects pathogen as well as
promote’s plant defense
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Chemical fungicide options
For aerial phase SUPPRESSION only:
Ranman (cyazofamid, FRAC 21, 0 PHI)
Revus (mandipropamid, FRAC 40, 0 PHI)
Forum (dimethomorph, FRAC 40, 0 PHI)
Presidio (fluopicolide, FRAC 43, 18mo rot. restriction)
Tanos (famoxadone+cymoxanil, FRAC 11+27, 3 PHI)
Gavel (mancozeb+zoxamide, FRAC M3+22, 5 PHI)
Phytophthora blight management
If you already have Phytophthora….
Biofungicide fungicide options can be
applied pre-transplant, at planting, via drip
Actinovate – Streptomyces lydicus
Double Nickel – Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
RootShield – Trichoderma harzianum
Serenade Soil – Bacillus subtilis
Tenet – T. asperellum & T. gamsii
Regalia – giant knotweed extract (induced resistance)
Summary…
Primary strategies for disease management are
proactive and preventative
– site selection, crop rotation, soil health, sanitation,
variety selection, clean seed, transplants, etc.
Knowledge is another key to success!
Know what diseases can occur on your crops
Know the symptoms and signs
Know the biology of the pathogen (sources of inoculum)
Know the management practices/strategies
Have a happy,
healthy and
successful 2013
growing season!
Beth K. Gugino
Department of Plant Pathology
and Environmental Microbiology
[email protected](814) 865-7328
