Journal
PROCESSES
Volume 9, Issue 12, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/pr9122231
Keywords
disease suppressive soils; biological control; lignocellulosic composts; macrodilution assay; soilborne pathogens; agro-industrial wastes; Botrytis cinerea; disease severity and incidence
Categories
Funding
- European Investment Funds (FEDER/COMPETE/POCI-Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Program) [POCI-0145-FEDER006958]
- FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [PTDC/AGR-AAM/102006/2008, SFRH/BD/81473/2011, UIDB/04033/2020]
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/81473/2011, PTDC/AGR-AAM/102006/2008] Funding Source: FCT
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Composts can improve soil properties and suppress plant diseases. However, in this study, chestnut and olive-based composts were found to have beneficial effects on lettuce growth and reduce the risk of fungal diseases, while grape-based compost exhibited a fertilization effect but increased severity of Fusarium wilt.
Composts are widely used in horticulture as organic amendments to improve the properties of soils. Composts have also been reported to enhance the disease suppressive potential of soils and, therefore, could be used as a strategy for managing plant diseases. The aim of this study was to test the ability of soils amended with four different agro-industrial waste-based composts (chestnut peels and shells, spent coffee grounds, grape marc, and olive leaves) to inhibit the growth and activity of Botrytis cinerea and several soilborne pathogens. First, the capacity of aqueous compost extracts to inhibit the growth of Botrytis cinerea and five soilborne fungi was evaluated in vitro using a broth macrodilution method. Second, lettuce plants were grown on soils amended with composts and inoculated either with B. cinerea or the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtendahl isolated from lamb's lettuce. The determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations indicated that none of the composts inhibited the mycelium growth of the selected fungal pathogens. However, the pathogens did not cause any damage on plants grown on the chestnut- and olive-based composts. Lettuce yields were also highest for plants grown with composts made from chestnut and olive, irrespective of the amount of compost incorporated into soils (5% or 10%, weight basis). The grape-based compost also exhibited a fertilization effect, although the effect was associated with increased Fusarium wilt severity. Both N immobilization and symbiosis with the compost's microflora were used to explain the pathogenicity of F. oxysporum Schlechtendahl in response to amendment with composts made from grape and coffee wastes. The beneficial effects of the chestnut- and olive-based composts reported in this study could be exploited in strategies aimed at reducing reliance on synthetic pesticides for the control of fungi in lettuce cultivation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available