Effective Use of Microbial Inoculants for the Suppression of Soilborne Pathogens in Greenhouse Crops
Dr. George Elliott, University of Connecticut, $24,000
2005 Annual Progress Report
INDUSTRY NEEDS ADDRESSED
Diseases caused by soilborne pathogens can be cause of substantial economic losses in Floriculture production. Growers generally use chemical pesticides to control diseases, but some growers are using microbial inoculants (MI) labeled as biological fungicides as an alternative. Growers using MI have reported reduced need for chemical fungicides, but some growers use both MI and chemical fungicides. MI must be applied prior to the incidence of disease since they are incapable of suppressing disease outbreaks. MI must proliferate in the growing medium and colonize roots to provide protection. Current methods for determining the presence of MI in growing media and on roots are not suitable for routine monitoring of MI populations because they are tedious and time-consuming. Crop advisors and growers are therefore not able to determine if MI are currently present. Lack of means to monitor MI populations also has hampered research on the factors that might influence effectiveness of MI. Our research will develop molecular methods for rapid, quantitative estimates of MI populations in growing media. This will allow rapid surveillance in crop production to provide growers with the knowledge that MI are “on the job.” Our work will support further research on environmental factors and cultural practices to improve effective use of MI in crop production.
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