Influence of Crop Residues on Plant Diseases

Author(s):  
R. J. Cook ◽  
M. G. Boosalis ◽  
B. Doupnik
Keyword(s):  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydie Kerdraon ◽  
Valérie Laval ◽  
Frédéric Suffert

The negative contribution of crop residues as a source of inoculum for plant diseases is well established. However, microbial ecologists have long reported positive effects of residues on the stability of agrosystems and conservation tillage practices have become increasingly widespread. Most studies have suggested that large microbial communities should be taken into account in plant disease management, but we know little about their ecological interaction with pathogens in the crop residue compartment. This review focuses on microbiomes associated with residues within the context of other microbial habitats in cereal-producing agroecosystems such as phyllosphere or rhizosphere. We connected residue microbiome with the survival of residue-borne fungal plant pathogens, thus combining knowledge in microbial ecology and epidemiology, two disciplines still not sufficiently connected. We provide an overview of the impact of residues on cereal disease epidemics and how dynamic interactions between microbial communities of nonburied residues during their degradation, along with soil and multitude of abiotic factors, can contribute to innovative disease management strategies, including next-generation microbiome-based biocontrol strategies. Starting from the classical but still relevant view of crop residues as a source of pathogen inoculum, we first consider possibilities for limiting the amount of residues on the soil surface to reduce the pathogen pressure. We then describe residues as a transient half-plant/half-soil compartment constituting a key fully fledged microbial ecosystem: in other words, an ecotone which deserves special attention. We focus on microbial communities, the changes in these communities over time and the factors influencing them. Finally, we discuss how the interactions between the microbial communities and the pathogens present on residues could be used: identification of keystone taxa and beneficial assemblages, then preservation of these taxa by adapted agronomic practices or development of synthetic communities, rather than the introduction of a single exogenous biocontrol species designed as a treatment product. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 887 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Thomas ◽  
G. W. Titmarsh ◽  
D. M. Freebairn ◽  
B. J. Radford

Early agricultural practices in Queensland inadvertently led to accelerated soil erosion. During the 1940s, the Queensland Government initiated a soil conservation service that worked with the principles of matching land use with its capability, as well as runoff management using earth structures such as contour banks and grassed waterways. A concerted effort began in the 1960s to develop and adapt farming systems that maximised retention of crop residues to maintain surface cover to complement the earthworks. Investigation and promotion of farm machinery capable of dealing with high stubble levels commenced in the mid-1970s. Demonstrations of the benefits of reduced and no-tillage conservation farming practices for improved productivity and soil conservation also began at this time. The combined research, development and extension efforts of farmers, grower organisations, agribusiness and government agencies have contributed to an increase in the understanding of soil–water–crop interactions that have led to the adoption of no-tillage and conservation farming practices in Queensland. In 2005, the overall area under no-tillage was ~50% of the cropping land in the main grain growing areas of southern and central Queensland, but was potentially as high as 85% among some groups of farmers. Conservation farming practices, in their many forms, are now regarded as standard practice, and the agricultural advisory industry is involved considerably in providing advice on optimum herbicide application and crop rotation strategies for these practices. Factors hindering greater adoption of no-tillage include: farmer attitudes and aspirations, machinery conversion or replacement costs, buildup of soil and stubble-borne plant diseases, use of residual herbicides that may limit crop options, dual use of land for grazing and cropping, herbicide resistance, buildup of hard-to-kill weeds, the need for soil disturbance in some situations, and concerns by farmers about the effects of herbicides on the environment and human health. Developments that may aid further adoption of no-tillage systems include: ongoing machinery modifications that allow greater flexibility in the cropping systems, refinement of controlled traffic farming and precision agriculture, improved crop resistance or tolerance to plant diseases associated with stubble retention, availability of more crop options and rotations, development of a broader spectrum of effective herbicides and the use of genetic modification technologies to breed herbicide-resistant crops.


1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Lafond ◽  
S. M. Boyetchko ◽  
S. A. Brandt ◽  
G. W. Clayton ◽  
M. H. Entz

The most efficient and practical way of protecting the soil against wind and water erosion is with surface and anchored crop residues. The rate and extent of crop establishment is not adversely affected by conservation tillage provided shallow seeding is used and adequate seed-to-soil contact is achieved. Soil water conservation can be enhanced with conservation tillage systems and the amount conserved is directly influenced by the type and amount of crop residues present and the agro-ecological zone. Crop residue decomposition is 1.5× slower on the surface than when buried and the rate of decomposition can be explained almost entirely by the location and nitrogen content of the residues and growing degree days. Grain yield can be improved with conservation tillage and is directly related to the amount of extra water conserved, regardless of the crop. Crop establishment, which is critical in forage production, can be improved with conservation tillage. Removing forage stands with herbicides as opposed to tillage favoured subsequent crops. Further research is required on the manipulation of stubble height and row spacing to enhance water conservation and to determine the impact of such changes on crop growth and development, weeds and plant diseases. There is need to develop crop-specific conservation production practices for each agro-ecological zone. Key words: Residue decomposition, grain yield, water conservation, forage production, conservation tillage


2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 3077-3084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias P. Lutz ◽  
Georg Feichtinger ◽  
Genevi�ve D�fago ◽  
Brion Duffy

ABSTRACT Mycotoxin contamination associated with head blight of wheat and other grains caused by Fusarium culmorum and F. graminearum is a chronic threat to crop, human, and animal health throughout the world. One of the most important toxins in terms of human exposure is deoxynivalenol (DON) (formerly called vomitoxin), an inhibitor of protein synthesis with a broad spectrum of toxigenicity against animals. Certain Fusarium toxins have additional antimicrobial activity, and the phytotoxin fusaric acid has recently been shown to modulate fungus-bacterium interactions that affect plant health (Duffy and D�fago, Phytopathology 87:1250-1257, 1997). The potential impact of DON on Fusarium competition with other microorganisms has not been described previously. Any competitive advantage conferred by DON would complicate efforts to control Fusarium during its saprophytic growth on crop residues that are left after harvest and constitute the primary inoculum reservoir for outbreaks in subsequent plantings. We examined the effect of the DON mycotoxin on ecological interactions between pathogenic Fusarium and Trichoderma atroviride strain P1, a competitor fungus with biocontrol activity against a wide range of plant diseases. Expression of the Trichoderma chitinase genes, ech42 and nag1, which contribute to biocontrol activity, was monitored in vitro and on crop residues of two maize cultivars by using goxA reporter gene fusions. We found that DON-producing F. culmorum and F. graminearum strains repressed expression of nag1-gox. DON-negative wild-type Fusarium strains and a DON-negative mutant with an insertional disruption in the tricothecene biosynthetic gene, tri5, had no effect on antagonist gene expression. The role of DON as the principal repressor above other pathogen factors was confirmed. Exposure of Trichoderma to synthetic DON or to a non-DON-producing Fusarium mutant resulted in the same level of nag1-gox repression as the level observed with DON-producing Fusarium. DON repression was specific for nag1-gox and had no effect, either positive or negative, on expression of another key chitinase gene, ech42. This is the first demonstration that a target pathogen down-regulates genes in a fungal biocontrol agent, and our results provide evidence that mycotoxins have a novel ecological function as factors in Fusarium competitiveness.


1892 ◽  
Vol 33 (853supp) ◽  
pp. 13635-13636
Author(s):  
Joseph F. James
Keyword(s):  

Agronomie ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 731-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Harrison ◽  
Sharon Ellis ◽  
Roy Cross ◽  
James Harrison Hodgson

Agronomie ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 777-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme D. Schwenke ◽  
Warwick L. Felton ◽  
David F. Herridge ◽  
Dil F. Khan ◽  
Mark B. Peoples

ICLEM 2010 ◽  
2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufeng Sun ◽  
Quanguo Zhang ◽  
Guangyin Xu
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
K Santhasheela ◽  
Deepan Chakravarthi AV

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