Effect of soil amendments and biological control agents (BCAs) on soil-borne root diseases caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrenochaeta lycopersici</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium albo-atrum</Emphasis> in organic greenhouse tomato production systems |
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| Authors: | Charilaos Giotis Emilia Markelou Afroditi Theodoropoulou Eleftheria Toufexi Robert Hodson Peter Shotton Robert Shiel Julia Cooper Carlo Leifert |
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| Institution: | (1) Nafferton Ecological Farming Group (NEFG), University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK;(2) Technological Educational Institute of the Ionian Islands, Agostoli, Kefalonia, Greece;(3) BENAKI Phytopathological Institute, Athens, Greece;(4) Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Nafferton Farm, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7XD, UK |
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| Abstract: | The effect of different soil amendments and biological control agents on soil-borne root diseases that cause significant economic
losses in organic and other soil-based tomato production systems (Pyrenochaeta lycopersici and Verticillium albo-atrum) was compared. Organic matter inputs (fresh Brassica tissue, household waste compost and composted cow manure) significantly reduced soil-borne disease severity (measured as
increased root fresh weight) and/or increased tomato fruit yield, with some treatments also increasing fruit number and/or
size. Soil biological activity also increased with increasing organic matter input levels and there were significant positive
correlations between soil biological activity, root fresh weight and fruit yield. This indicates that one mechanism of soil-borne
disease control by organic matter input may be increased competition by the soil biota. Chitin/chitosan products also significantly
reduced soil-borne disease incidence and increased tomato fruit yield, number and/or size, but had no effect on soil biological
activity. Biological control products based on Bacillus subtilis and Pythium oligandrum and commercial seaweed extract (Marinure) and fish emulsion (Nugro)-based liquid fertilisers had no positive effect on soil-borne
disease incidence and fruit yield, number and size. The use of ‘suppressive’ organic matter inputs alone or in combination
with chitin/chitosan soil amendments can therefore be recommended as methods to control soil-borne diseases in organic and
other soil-based production systems. |
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| Keywords: | Soil amendments Biological control agents Pyrenochaeta lycopersici Verticillium albo-atrum Organic tomato production |
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