OhioVegetableandSmallFruitResearchandDevelopmentProgram
FinalReport
2017
ProjectTitle:EmergingSoilborneDiseasesinPlasticultureStrawberryProduction
PrincipleInvestigator(s):MelanieLewisIvey
PhoneNumber:330-263-3849
E-mail:[email protected]
CooperatingInstitution:TheOhioStateUniversity(OARDC)DepartmentofPlantPathology
MailingAddress:1680MadisonAve.,Wooster,OH44691
OtherKeyPersonnel:RachelMedina,TheOhioStateUniversity–OARDC–WoosterCampus
Whywasthisprojectfunded?ThisprojectwasfundedtoidentifyemergingsoilbornediseasesaffectingOhiostrawberriesinaplasticulturesystem.Theadaptionofanannualplasticulture-basedproductionsystemandneweverbearingstrawberryvarietieshaveenabledstrawberryfarmersintheMidwesttoproduceandmarketthroughoutthesummerandintothelatefall.InOhio,strawberryfarmersaremodifyingthetraditionalannualplasticulture-basedproductionsystemthatisusedintheSoutheasternandWesternU.S.inordertocollectfruitfromthecropovertwooreventhreeseasons,inordertoreduceproductioncostsandreaptheyieldbenefitsofthesystem.Inthepastyear,Ohiogrowershavereportedasteadydeclineinfallplantgrowthduetoplantdieback,collapse,and/orwilting,especiallyduringthesecondcropcycle(i.e.yeartwoofanannualcropcycle).
ProjectOutline:Ohiostrawberryproducerswerecontactedforparticipationinthestudy.Oncescheduled,eachfarmwasvisitedfrom11differentcountiesfromtheNorthWestern,Central,SouthEasternandSouthWesternregionsofOhio(Figure1).Thevisitsincludedin-depthdiscussionsofthepracticesusedoneachfarmwiththegrowers.ThegrowerswereverywillingtosharethatinformationandaidinourunderstandingofthecurrentproductionpracticesforstrawberriesinOhio.Ofthe16growersthatparticipated,fourusedmattedrowstrawberryproductioninsomecapacity.Theremaininggrowersonlyusedplasticulture.Plantswithwiltsymptomswerecollectedfromeachlocationandassessedfordiseasebymakinglongitudinalcutsthroughthecrowntolookforcrowndiscoloration(Figure2),isolations(Figure3)andfungalidentificationbasedoncolonyandsporemorphology.Inaddition,barerootplantsfromonelocationwerecollectedandassessedforcrownrot.
Take-HomeMessages:StrawberryplasticultureproductionhaseliminatedmanyproductionhurdlesforOhiostrawberrygrowersbutdiseasesarestillproblematic.Ateachofthe16farmssampledinthisstudywiltedplantsindicativeofdiseasewereobservedandmanyofthegrowersindicatedthatblackrootrotwasthecauseofthewilt.ThefollowingfungiwereputativelyidentifiedRhizoctonia,Fusarium,andColletotrichumbasedoncolonyandsporemorphology.Insomelocations,allthreefungiwereisolatedfromasingleplantwhileinotherlocationsonlyonefunguswasisolatedfromaplant.Severalfungicouldnotbeputativelyidentifiedbasedsolelyoncolonyand/orsporemorphology.Allfungiisolated
fromthisstudythataresuspectedtobethecauseofcrownandrootrotwillbeidentifiedusingDNAsequencing.Thestudywillalsoberepeatedinthespringtodetermineifdiseaseprofilesdiffersignificantlyinthespring.Acompletesummaryofthisstudywillbereportedina2018issueofOhioFruitNews.
Figure1:Locationsofstrawberryfarmssurveyedforcrownandrootdiseasesinfall2017.
Figure2:Examplesofstrawberrycrownswithvaryingdegreesofcrownrot.Fungalisolationsfromallplantswithcrownrotwereconducted.
Figure3.Examplesoffungiisolatedfromdiseasedstrawberrycrowns.Whenpossiblethefungiwereidentifiedbasedoncolonyandsporemorphology.
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