Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
NORTH FLA RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER, QUINCY
Non Technical Summary
Numerous plant pathogens now affect vegetables and ornamentals. Many cause significant economic damage. Moreover, new pathogens are being introduced into Florida. The purpose of this research is to develop disease management strategies and to protect vegetables and ornamental plants from diseases or lessen their impact thereby increasing the profitability of production in an environmentally sound manner.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
To develop disease management strategies to protect vegetables and ornamental plants from diseases or lessen their impact thereby increasing the profitability of production in an environmentally sound manner. Specific objectives include: 1. Describe and identify important diseases, pathogens, and disorders and study the interactions between plants and their pathogens that result in disease damage, including the evaluation, modification, and development of detection and identification techniques for plant pathogens. 2. Study the life systems of disease-producing organisms and plant production systems and identify important factors which can be manipulated or altered to avoid or reduce the impacts of plant diseases. 3. Develop and evaluate disease management tactics which are economical and environmentally-acceptable and which minimize disease impacts and enhance economic return.
Project Methods
Objective 1. Identify and describe new diseases and pathogens of ornamental and vegetable crops and the interactions between plants and pathogen that: a) result in disease damage, reduce quality, or affect consistency of production, and b) which can be manipulated or altered to avoid or reduce the impacts of disease by appropriate management strategies including pesticide intervention. In many cases, causal agents will be unknown and must be elucidated by isolation, identification and pathogenicity tests. Methods and procedures will be diverse and determined by the specific problem, but will generally follow approaches standard to plant pathology research for viruses, bacteria and fungi (Agrios, 2004). For example, fungi would be isolated from diseased tissue, grown in axenic culture, and identified by microscopic examination. In many cases, molecular techniques such as PCR, biochemical profiles, and DNA fingerprinting and hybridization techniques would be employed for
identification and detection. Objective 2. To study the life systems of plant pathogens that affect horticultural crops to develop appropriate disease management strategies. Knowledge of the life systems of pathogens is essential to determine which production activities are conducive to disease and which can be manipulated or revised to deter disease occurrence or slow development. Similar knowledge is needed to formulate pesticide-based approaches particularly in regard to timing and placement. When not already known, the biology of pathogens might first be studied in the laboratory to determine key variables such temperature and pH, basic reproductive and dissemination strategies, and survivability and persistence capabilities(for example, persistence in soil, seeds, or plant debris) would be investigated. Objective 3. Develop and evaluate disease management tactics including effective fungicide and bactericide control methods to minimize the impacts of diseases encountered during
production of horticultural crops that will improve product quality and aid in sustainability of production. Effective fungicides and bactericides will be identified through lab, greenhouse and field testing sometimes using potted plants or detached leaves. Optimum rates, application methods, and frequencies will be determined through field testing in small, replicated plots or in larger plots with grower participation. Cultural activities greatly influence the success or failure of disease control and are a key part of plant disease management. With knowledge gained under Objectives 1 and 2 above, interactions of important cultural activities can be postulated and verified in field experiments. Development of monitoring and scouting methods and approaches to these tasks may be appropriate in many instances. Fungicide programs alone will not provide acceptable results unless well-integrated with cultural practices that avoid disease or are detrimental to disease progress (Strandberg
et al., 1997).