Nitrite as a factor in the decline of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi in soil supplemented with urea or ammonium chloride

Microbial diversity in soils suppressive to Fusarium diseases

Fusarium species are cosmopolitan soil phytopathogens from the division Ascomycota, which produce mycotoxins and cause significant economic losses of crop plants. However, soils suppressive to Fusarium diseases are known to occur, and recent knowledge on microbial diversity in these soils has shed new lights on phytoprotection effects. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on soils suppressive to Fusarium diseases and the role of their rhizosphere microbiota in phytoprotection. This is an important issue, as disease does not develop significantly in suppressive soils even though pathogenic Fusarium and susceptible host plant are present, and weather conditions are suitable for disease. Soils suppressive to Fusarium diseases are documented in different regions of the world. They contain biocontrol microorganisms, which act by inducing plants' resistance to the pathogen, competing with or inhibiting the pathogen, or parasitizing the pathogen. In particular, some of the Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus and Streptomyces species are involved in plant protection from Fusarium diseases. Besides specific bacterial populations involved in disease suppression, next-generation sequencing and ecological networks have largely contributed to the understanding of microbial communities in soils suppressive or not to Fusarium diseases, revealing different microbial community patterns and differences for a notable number of taxa, according to the Fusarium pathosystem, the host plant and the origin of the soil. Agricultural practices can significantly influence soil suppressiveness to Fusarium diseases by influencing soil microbiota ecology. Research on microbial modes of action and diversity in suppressive soils should help guide the development of effective farming practices for Fusarium disease management in sustainable agriculture.

The Epidemiology of Fusarium Wilt of Banana

Fusarium wilt of banana (also known as Panama disease) has been a problem in Australia since 1874. Race 1 of the pathogen (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense) is responsible for damage to 'Lady Finger' (AAB, Pome subgroup) and other less widely grown cultivars such as 'Ducasse' (Pisang Awak, ABB). Subtropical Race 4 (STR4) also affects these cultivars as well as Cavendish cultivars (AAA) in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales where cold temperature predisposition is involved. Tropical Race 4 (TR4) has led to the demise of the Cavendish industry in the Northern Territory, and its presence was confirmed in a North Queensland plantation in 2015, which warranted destruction of all banana plants on the property; as of this writing (April 2019), TR4 has spread to two adjacent properties. This review, which was commissioned by Biosecurity Queensland in response to the 2015 TR4 outbreak, considers the key epidemiological factors associated with the onset of a Fusarium wilt epidemic. Resistance to TR4, which is mediated by events following entry by the pathogen into the xylem, is not present in any commercially acceptable banana cultivar. Also, there is no effective chemical agent that can be used to manage the disease. Besides prevention, very early recognition and rapid containment of a disease outbreak are necessary to prevent epidemic development. A good understanding of the key factors responsible for disease development is required when devising practical protocols for the destruction of infected plants, treatment of surrounding infested soil, and reduction of inoculum in plant residues and soil.

Effect of Nutrition on Deformation Disease in Gypsophila paniculata Mother Plants

ABSTRACT Deformation disease of Gypsophila paniculata mother plants reduces cutting yields as much as 50% but does not kill the mother plants. In preliminary experiments, fertigation of G. paniculata mother plants with a 20:20:20 compound fertilizer (N, P, K, plus microelements) at an N concentration of 720 mg/liter reduced the expression of deformation disease compared with the conventional N concentration of 360 mg/liter. The current study determined which component of the compound fertilizer reduced the disease. Experiments were carried out in 10-liter buckets packed with naturally infested 0- to 8-mm black tuff (Scoria = crushed volcanic stones). Irrigation was applied once a day at 0.5 liter per bucket with the nutrient under test being added at 1.0 liter per bucket via the water once a week. Treatments included: (i) four levels of 20:20:20 fertilizer; (ii) four levels of each of N, P, K, and Fe-Zn-Mn mixture (ME) corresponding to their concentrations in the compound fertilizer; (iii) different N sources (20:20:20, (NH(4))(2)SO(4), KNO(3), NH(4)NO(3), urea); and (iv) three pHs of the irrigation water at each of three NO(3) and NH(4) application levels. Increasing the 20:20:20 fertilizer concentration reduced the disease level from 82 to 96% with N at 180 mg/liter to 6 to 10% with N at 720 mg/liter. When either P, K, or ME was the sole variable, increasing concentrations had no significant effect on the disease, but elevating a mixed source nitrogen concentration from 0 to 180, 360, and 720 mg/liter (as 50% urea, 40% NH(4)NO(3), and 10% KNO(3)) significantly reduced deformation similar to that observed with increasing concentrations of the 20:20:20 fertilizer. mong tested N sources, NH(4) was the most effective in reducing the disease (almost to zero at an N concentration of 360 g/liter). Low disease incidence (0 to 10%) was always associated with effluent pH of 6 or lower. Irrigating with acidified water pH 5.5) in the presence of N, as NH(4) at 180 mg/liter, additionally reduced disease from 56% under tap water (pH 7.8) rrigation to 11%. Similar acidification in the presence of NO (-) (3) N at 180 mg/liter was ineffective in reducing the disease, but ater basification in the presence of NO (-) (3) N reduced disease incidence from 93 to 38% 90 days after planting. The N, P, K, Fe, and Zn concentrations in gypsophila cuttings were similar under the three tested levels of NH(4), NO(3), and 20:20:20, whereas the concentration of Mn increased with increasing N. The Mn concentration in cuttings was inversely correlated with disease and is probably an important factor to understanding the physiological background of the deformation disease.

Ammonia and Nitrous Acid from Nitrogenous Amendments Kill the Microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae

ABSTRACT This study examined the mechanisms by which nitrogenous amendments such as meat and bone meal kill the soilborne plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae. The effect of nitrogen products from the amendments on the survival of microsclerotia of V. dahliae was examined by solution bioassay and soil microcosm experiments. Ammonia and nitrous acid but not their ionized counterparts, ammonium and nitrite, were toxic to microsclerotia in bioassays. In microcosms, addition of meat and bone meal (2.5%) to an acidic loamy sand resulted in the accumulation of ammonia and death of microsclerotia within 2 weeks. At lower concentrations (0.5 and 1%), microsclerotia were killed after 2 weeks when nitrous acid accumulated (>0.03 mM). In an alkaline loam soil, microsclerotia survived at 3% meat and bone meal and neither ammonia nor nitrous acid accumulated. The toxicity of ammonia to the pathogen was verified by increasing the concentration of meat and bone meal to 4% or addition of urea (1,600 mg of N per kg) to the loam soil resulting in the accumulation of ammonia (>35 mM) and death of microsclerotia. The toxicity of nitrous acid was verified by adding ammonium sulfate fertilizer to an acidic sand soil. Inhibiting nitrification with dicyandiamide revealed that nitrous acid was generated as a result of the accumulation of nitrite and an acidic pH. Thus, levels to which the toxins accumulated and the effective concentration of amendment were dependent upon the soil examined. Of the two mechanisms identified, accumulation of nitrous acid is the more promising strategy to control plant diseases in acidic soil because it is more toxic than ammonia and is formed at lower concentrations of amendments.

Effect of a Soil Amendment on the Survival of Ralstonia solanacearum in Different Soils

ABSTRACT The effect of a soil amendment (SA) composed of urea (200 kg of N per ha) and CaO (5,000 kg/ha) on the survival of Ralstonia solanacearum in four Philippine soils was investigated in a series of laboratory experiments. Within 3 weeks after application, the SA either caused an initial decrease, a final decline, or no change in the pathogen population, depending on the particular soil type. An initial decrease occurred in a soil with a basic pH and resulted in a significantly (P < 0.001) lower pathogen population immediately and at 1 week after amending the soil. This decrease was probably due to the high pH in the soil during urea hydrolysis. A final decline in the R. solanacearum population after 3 weeks occurred in two soils in which nitrite accumulated after 1 week. In these soils, no decline in bacterial levels occurred when nitrite formation was inhibited by 2-chloro-6-trichloromethylpyridine. In the soil with low pH, no nitrite accumulated and the R. solanacearum population did not decline. The suppressive effects of pH and nitrite on R. solanacearum growth were confirmed by in vitro experiments. Ammonium reduced the growth of R. solanacearum, but was not suppressive. Interactions of pH with ammonium and nitrite also occurred, whereby ammonium reduced growth of R. solanacearum only at pH 9 and nitrite was suppressive only at pH 5. Nitrate had no effect on R. solanacearum growth in vitro.