Michigan ranks third in the United States for the wholesale value of floriculture products, with an estimated value of $375.7 million. Seedling damping-off and root and crown rot are commonly caused by Pythium spp. and are important problems for greenhouse growers. Pythium spp. associated with Michigan’s floriculture crops were characterized as a means to improve current management strategies. During 2011 and 2012, potted poinsettias with root rot symptoms were sampled from nine greenhouses located in Kent, Kalamazoo, and Wayne counties. In 2013, from the same three counties, symptomatic geranium and snapdragon bedding plants were sampled from 12 greenhouses. Additionally, symptomatic hibiscus and lantana plants were sampled at one greenhouse facility. Isolates were confirmed to be Pythium spp. via morphology and sequencing of the ITS region. A total of 287 Pythium spp. isolates were obtained from poinsettias and 726 isolates from geranium, snapdragon, hibiscus, and lantana. Seven Pythium spp., and a group of isolates determined as Pythium sp. 1 were identified. The most prevalent species were P. irregulare, P. ultimum, and P. aphanidermatum. A subset of isolates was chosen for pathogenicity and mefenoxam sensitivity testing. Six of the species were virulent to germinating geranium seeds. Most P. ultimum and P. cylindrosporum isolates tested were intermediate to highly resistant to mefenoxam, whereas most P. aphanidermatum isolates were sensitive. This study suggests that Pythium spp. recovered from Michigan greenhouses may vary depending on the host, and that mefenoxam may not be effective to control P. ultimum or P. cylindrosporum.
In containerized (potted) annual nursery and greenhouse crops, set point-controlled irrigation allows adaptation to increasing water insecurity by precisely reducing water inputs. A key factor influencing adoption is lack of information on disease risk. To facilitate adaptive water use, effects of set-point substrate moisture (SM) control on disease risk and water savings in containerized annual production were evaluated using the Phytophthora capsici–tomato pathosystem (a model system for water stress predisposition to pathogen infection), comparing outcomes of imposing midrange SM (15% volumetric water content [VWC]) and low-range SM (10% VWC) with well-watered (20% VWC) plants. Reducing soil moisture to 10% VWC differentially reduced stem water potential (P < 0.05) and enhanced rate of wilt progress (P = 0.006) and root rot severity (P = 0.03) in P. capsici inoculated plants compared with noninoculated plants. Furthermore, incidence of fine root infections in inoculated asymptomatic plants was greater under reduced SM (10% VWC) compared with in well-watered plants (P < 0.05). Mild reductions to 15% VWC did not influence plant performance (root and shoot weights and plant height) or pathogen infection in either inoculated or noninoculated plants compared with well-watered plants and reduced water inputs by 17%, indicating potential for reducing water usage without increasing disease risk. Furthermore, P. capsici inoculated plants had lower shoot biomass and greater root infection incidence when 15% VWC was applied to older compared with younger plants; the inverse was true for root rot severity, although root rot development was minor overall (P < 0.05). These results indicate that water use reductions pose disease risks, but there is potential to reduce water use and effectively manage plant pathogens in containerized production. Overall, this study indicates that physiological indices should not be solely relied on to develop water reduction methods.
Five Phytophthora species comprising a total of 243 isolates (77 P. cinnamomi, 23 P. citrophthora, 18 P. multivora, 18 P. pini, and 107 P. plurivora) were screened for sensitivity to mefenoxam, fosetyl-Al, dimethomorph, dimethomorph + ametoctradin and fluoxastrobin using amended agar assays. Mefenoxam-insensitive isolates were detected within P. cinnamomi (4%), P. multivora (11%), and P. plurivora (12%) even at approximately 2.5x the recommended label rate. These isolates were also insensitive to higher (off-label) concentrations of fluoxastrobin. Concentrations of dimethomorph (400 g/mL) and dimethomorph + ametoctradin (100 g/mL) were mostly effective in mycelial growth inhibition, but two P. plurivora isolates were insensitive, suggesting that resistance management is required. All mefenoxam-insensitive isolates were sensitive to fosetyl-Al at the label rate. Surprisingly, the populations of P. cinnamomi from mid-Atlantic oak forests included insensitive isolates. With almost all species, isolates recovered from asymptomatic hosts (e.g., soil/potting media collected of randomly selected asymptomatic hosts) had a significantly greater relative growth rate when compared to isolates recovered from symptomatic hosts (e.g., isolates recovered from lesions or wilted plants). These findings suggest that mefenoxam should no longer be used to manage oomycetes in Maryland ornamental nurseries and that the use of fluoxastrobin should be limited.
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