Implementation of alternative methods to control replant disease
Author: S. Tianna DuPont, Mark Mazzola
Published: 2021
Summary: Apple replant disease causes stunting and reduced yields when apples are planted in locations previously cropped to tree fruit. Anaerobic soil disinfestation and bio-renovation using mustard seed meals may provide an alternative to fumigation controlling plant pathogens and leading to beneficial long-term changes in soil microbial communities. One-to-twelve acre trials were conducted in Othello, Rock Island and Tonasket to examine alternative techniques at the field scale and to track impacts on tree growth, yield and profits over time. Brassica seed meal treatments (BSM) successfully altered soil microbial communities and were associated with apple tree growth that was as great or greater than fumigated controls across all three study locations in year one. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) resulted in significant changes in composition of the rhizosphere microbiome and tree growth in year one that was better than the no-treatment control in three of four experiments but not always greater than the fumigated control.
