Alternatives to soil fumigation are needed for soilborne disease control. The aim of this study was to test anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) as an alternative to soil fumigation for control of critical soilborne pathogens in Californian strawberry production. Controlled environment experiments were conducted at 25 and 15°C to test different materials as carbon sources for ASD using soil inoculated with Verticillium dahliae. Field trials were conducted in three locations comparing ASD with 20 Mg ha À1 rice bran (RB) against fumigated and untreated controls, steam, mustard seed meal and fish emulsion. In ASD-treated soils, temperature and extent of anaerobic conditions were critical for control of V. dahliae, but multiple carbon inputs reduced inoculum by 80-100%. In field trials, ASD with RB provided control of a number of pathogens, and in three of four trials produced marketable fruit yields equivalent to fumigation. Little weed control benefit from ASD was found. ASD with RB also induced changes in the soil microbiome that persisted through the growing season. When equivalent yields were obtained, net returns above harvest and treatment costs with ASD RB were 92-96% of those with bed fumigation based on average prices over the previous 5 years. ASD can be a viable alternative for control of some soilborne pathogens. Growers are adopting ASD in California strawberry production, but research to determine optimal soil temperatures, anaerobicity thresholds and carbon sources for effective control of specific pathogens is needed.

Field studies were conducted from 1990 through 1997 to evaluate the long-term effect of 2- and 3-yr rotations on the control of downy brome, jointed goatgrass, and feral rye in winter wheat. At the completion of the study, jointed goatgrass and feral rye densities averaged 8 plants/m2and < 0.1 plant/m2for the 2- and 3-yr rotations, respectively. Downy brome densities averaged < 0.5 plant/m2for both the 2- and 3-yr rotations, with no treatment differences observed. Winter annual grasses were not eradicated after two cycles of the 3-yr rotations, but weed densities were reduced 10-fold compared to densities after one cycle and more than 100-fold compared with the 2-yr rotations. Wheat grain contamination with dockage and foreign material followed a similar trend. The 3-yr rotations were economically competitive with 2-yr rotations and provided superior control of the winter annual grass weeds.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the structure of the population of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae in California and to evaluate methods for its detection. Fifty-nine isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae were obtained from diseased strawberry plants and their identity was confirmed by pathogenicity testing. The full nuclear ribosomal intergenic spacer (IGS) and elongation factor 1-α gene (EF-1α) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among isolates. IGS and EF-1α sequences revealed three main lineages, which corresponded to three somatic compatibility groups. Primers designed to detect F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae in Japan amplified a 239-bp product from 55 of 59 California isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae and from no nonpathogenic isolates of F. oxysporum. The sequence of this PCR product was identical to the sequence obtained from F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae isolates in Japan. Intensive sampling at two locations in California showed results of tests based on PCR and somatic compatibility to be in agreement for 97% (257 of 264) of isolates tested. Our findings revealed considerable diversity in the California population of F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, and indications that horizontal gene transfer may have occurred.

No abstract

The major production areas for leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in California are the Central Coast (Monterey,