MANAGING PLANT MICROBE INTERACTIONS IN SOIL TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1018005
• Multistate No.: W-4147
• Project Start Date: Oct 23, 2018
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2023
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
KANSAS STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MANHATTAN,KS 66506

Performing Department
KSU SE Agriculture Research Center

Non Technical Summary
Soilborne diseases reduce yield and quality of the major crops grown in southeast Kansas. Some soilborne diseases render crops unfit for human consumption, potentially contaminating the food system. Conventional control methods are expensive, increasing the costs of production, and can introduce chemicals into the environment that reduce soil health and impair water bodies of the region. Alternative production methods are available that offer a synergistic approach to reducing the negative impacts of these soilborne pests and diseases. Some cover crops are able to reduce disease pressure. Alternative management practices, including crop rotations and reduced tillage, can ameliorate some of the soilborne diseases. An integrated systems approach to improving soil health offers benefits to the farmers by improving the overall productive capacity of the agronomic system, and also reducing disease pressure. The improved production methods also benefit consumers by reducing the use of chemicals in our food production system, improving soil health, and providing safer food.This research is designed to identify management practices and plants that provide benefits to soil health, and reduce or eliminate soilborne pathogens. The challenge of the research is to integrate improved practices and alternative crops or cover crops into the current production system. Preliminary research has identified the potential of a mustard plant that can be used to control a disease that causes charcoal rot in soybeans. Research will explore methods of incorporating this mustard plant as a cover crop into the current crop rotation system. Additional cover crops and alternative management methods will be explored to determine their potential to improve soil health and reduce diseases in crop production. Additional research will develop methods to control fungal infections in wheat. These fungal infections reduce the wheat yield, but more importantly, reduce the wheat quality so it is not suitable for human consumption. The development of dangerous mycotoxins in wheat due to fungal infection can severely impact the food system.This research will result in production methods that improve soil health. The production methods will be demonstrated to farmers through demonstration plots and field days. On-farm demonstrations will be conducted with collaborating farmers to more clearly demonstrate the potential of the methods to improve soil health and productivity. Knowledge of soil health, and soilborne disease pressure will be used to improve the crop production system. Students will be trained in soil health and disease, and integrated crop production methods that improve the production system. The research will reduce crop plant diseases, and also provide alternative production methods that reduce the use of chemicals to control disease.

Animal Health Component

80%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

20%

Applied

80%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
212	0110	1000	50%
215	0110	1060	50%

Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants; 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1000 - Biochemistry and biophysics;

Keywords

soil health

disease management in natural ecosystems

soilborne plant pathogens

Goals / Objectives
To discover, identify, and characterize microbes, biological control agents, biorational compounds, pathogen-suppressive microbiomes, as well as cultural practices and organic amendments that reduce plant diseases and damage caused by soilborne plant pathogens and improve plant health. Develop, assess, and promote sustainable management strategies and practices for soilborne pathogens that are IPM-based and are compatible with soil health management Provide outreach, education, extension and technology transfer to growers, stakeholders, students and other scientists.

Project Methods
Objective 1. To identify and characterize new biological agents, naturally suppressive soil, cultural practices, and organic amendments that provide management of diseases caused by soilborne plant pathogens.1a. Determine the efficacy of traditional chemical fungicides in comparison to biological control from cover crops to control charcoal rot-causing fungi in soybean production.Charcoal rot, caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, (Tassi) Goid, is prevalent in crop fields in eastern Kansas. Certain plants produce biofumigant chemicals that can control or reduce harmful soil fungi. Mengistu et al. (2009) showed suppression of charcoal rot with reduced tillage and a rye cover crop. Bacterial control of diseases has been used in potato production (Larkin et al., 2011). This research tests a high-glucosinolate mustard plant to control charcoal rot and other soil-borne pathogens in soybean production.Replicated test plots will include conventional fungicide treatments and mustard cover crop under various residue management protocols (tillage, no incorporation, or no cover crop). Soybeans will be planted in treatment blocks and grown to maturity. Soil samples will be collected prior to planting soybeans. Soil and soybean plant samples will be collected at the R7-R8 growth stage. Charcoal rot disease severity will be determined in the soil by counting the number of colony forming units (CFUs) using standard procedures (Mengistu et al., 2011). Charcoal rot disease severity will be measured in plants at the R7-R8 growth stage for root and stem severity rating. The plants will be scored by splitting the stem and taproot of each plant, and rating the degree of gray discoloration and microsclerotia in the vascular and cortical tissues on a scale of 1-5. M. phaseolina root population levels will be estimated by grinding the split roots after the severity evaluation. The ground plant tissue and soil samples will be plated on microbiological medium and incubated. CFUs of M. phaseolina will be counted and transformed to CFUs per gram of root tissue or gram of soil. Total soybean yield will be taken with a plot combine and seed samples analyzed for seed size. Economic analysis will be performed by developing partial budgets for yield and input expenses.1b. Management practices for control of FHB.In 2015, much of the wheat crop in eastern Kansas was devastated by Fusarium Head Blight (FHB; Lilleboe, 2015). Significant yield reductions due to FHB have been documented; however, the most damaging aspect of FHB is the reduction in wheat quality caused by the mycotoxins (most importantly deoxynivalenol (DON)) associated with the disease, often rendering the wheat unfit for human consumption (Wegulo et al., 2015). Contaminated wheat must be segregated at the elevator, and may not be marketable as a feed grain. Cool, wet conditions during the spring exacerbate FHB infection and reduce wheat yield and quality (Sassenrath et al., 2016).Seed quality (germination and growth potential) from infected and health kernels will be tested and the efficacy of chemical (fungicide) or biological (cover crops) control methods to reduce disease pressure will be determined. Fungicide treatments will be: seed treatment; in-season; and seed + in-season, or control (no treatment). The high-glucosinolate mustard seed will be co-planted with wheat to determine the potential reduction in disease pressure. Wheat growth and FHB will be monitored throughout the growing season. Final yield will be measured with a plot combine. Grain samples will be taken at harvest and tested for FHB and DON levels in each experiment.Objective 3. Implement sustainable management strategies for soilborne pathogens that are compatible and integrated with good soil health practices.3a. Management practices for implementing mustard cover crop in soybean production for fungal control. Winter wheat with and without mustard seed will be planted in the fall. After grain harvest in the spring, soil samples will be taken to measure the fungal presence and soil health. Double-cropped soybeans will be planted and grown to maturity. Soil and soybean plant samples will be collected at the R7-R8 growth stage and measured for charcoal rot fungus as in Objective 1a.3b. Best management practices to reduce Fusarium Head Blight in wheat.Extensive research has documented the potential of controlling FHB through cultivar selection, fungicide application, residue management and crop rotations (Wegulo et al., 2013). A particular challenge in southeast Kansas is balancing conservation tillage practices that preserve limited topsoil with methods to manage crop residues. The current crop rotation system has wheat planted into corn residue, often with no tillage. The corn residue can exacerbate FHB disease pressure.This experiment will test FHB control in two wheat cultivars varying in FHB disease susceptibility (Everest, moderately resistant, and KanMark, susceptible), for fungicide application treatments, residue management (tilled or no-till) after corn harvest, and cover crops to control soilborne diseases. Wheat growth and scab will be monitored throughout the growing season. Final yield will be measured with a plot combine. Grain samples will be taken at harvest and tested for FHB and DON levels for each experiment.Objective 4. Provide outreach, education, extension and technology transfer to our clients and stakeholders-growers, biocontrol industry, graduate and undergraduate students, K-12 students and other scientists.In-field demonstrations will be made at the Southeast Research and Extension Center field day in Parsons, KS in May, and in Columbus, KS in September. Information on fungicide use, cultivar selection, residue management and harvest to control charcoal rot and FHB will be developed into extension publications and delivered via the web and print. Additional informal presentations of biological methods to improve soil health and manage pests and diseases will be made at informal coffee meetings and grower meetings throughout the region. Annual reports of progress will be written for farmers, and radio and television interviews made to transfer the results of the research to the farming community. Extension publications and progress reports will be available through the K-State Agronomy website.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience of this research is farmers and ranchers. Working directly with farmers, the research will be taken on-farm to demonstrate the importance of soil health management on disease control. Fellow researchers and extension agents will also benefit from the research results. Information learned from this project will benefit consumers by improving reliable access to food resources and protecting soil and water resources. The research will protect communities by providing alternative methods to improve soil health. Increasing the use of sustainable production methods will help to protect water quality and farm family health, and reduce the potential for soil and water contamination by sedimentation, and chemical applications. Changes/Problems:Some fields were not accessible due to excessive rainfall in fall, 2019. Additional fields will be added this next year. Transfer of results to farmers through extension presentations in on-farm field days was limited due to COVID-19. Alternative delivery methods were used. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One graduate student was trained in soil sampling and data collection and analysis. One undergraduate student was training in soil and plant sampling and preliminary analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Given the restrictions on in-person meetings due to COVID-19, presentations were greatly reduced this year. Several virtual presenations were made including a wheat field tour, a wheat pre-plant meeting, and a pasture management meeting. These presentations covered aspects of soil health and disease control. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Soilborne pathogens and soil community structure will be measured in crop fields (wheat, corn and soybean). Cover crops (grasses, brassicas, legumes, and broad-leaved species) and cover crop mixes will be planted in replicated field trials in research plots and on-farm in both tilled and no-till production systems. Soil health and disease pressure will be measured in plants, soils, and harvested grain using standard assays. Yield, quality, and disease presence will be measured in wheat and soybeans planted after cover crops. Economic return of management practices will be determined using enterprise budgets. Results will be transferred to farmers through on-farm field tours, educational presentations, and workshops.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. To discover, identify, and characterize microbes, biological control agents, biorational compounds, pathogen-suppressive microbiomes, as well as cultural practices and organic amendments that reduce plant diseases and damage caused by soilborne plant pathogens and improve plant health. Soil microbiome differences were measured from replicated field trials in production fields and research fields. Soils with and without cover crops were compared in tilled and no-till fields for soil microbiological activity. Soil microbes were found to be twice as active in no-till fields than in tilled fields. Differences in soil microbial properties between cover crops were also observed. 2. Develop, assess, and promote sustainable management strategies and practices for soilborne pathogens that are IPM-based and are compatible with soil health management Replicated cover crop plots were established in farmers fields and in research plots. Winter cover crops planted in the fall included grasses (wheat, rye grass, spring oats, winter oats) brassicas (purple top turnip and radish), and a commercial cover crop mix. Soil health and nutrient measurements were made in these plots in comparison to fallow plots. Fields included tilled and no-till plots. Cash crop performance was measured in the following planting season. Summer cover crops were established in 10 production fields. Soil nutrient and microbial activities were determined in these fields. Comparison of soil parameters (health and nutrient status) will be compared with crop performance. 3. Provide outreach, education, extension and technology transfer to growers, stakeholders, students and other scientists. Because of restrictions in face-to-face extension meetings, most meetings with producers were conducted by phone or video. Regular discussions and presentation of results were conducted with the cooperating producers. On-site farm visits were made to discuss disease problems identified in production fields.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Sassenrath, G. F., Mengarelli, L., Lingenfelser, J., Lin, X., Adee, E. 2020. Southeast Kansas Crop Production Summary  2019. Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 6: Iss. 4. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7913
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Sassenrath, G. F. 2020. The Cost of Tillage. Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 6: Iss. 4. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7914
• Type: Books Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Jorge A. Delgado, Clark Gantzer, and Gretchen F. Sassenrath, eds. 2020. Soil and Water Conservation: A Celebration of 75 Years. Soil and Water Conservation Society.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Zhao, H., Lin, X., Sassenrath, G.F. 2020. Modeling spatial and temporal soil temperature in the U.S. winter wheat belt. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting. Poster. virtual meeting. 2020.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mathis II, M.A., Tran, T.V., Tucker-Kulesza, S.E., Sassenrath, G.F. 2019. Erosion mechanisms of claypan soils in southeastern Kansas. Geo-Congress 2019 GSP 313. Philadelphia, PA, March 24-27, 2019. ASCE. pp. 76-85.

Progress 10/23/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this research is the farmers and agronomist of southeast Kansas. Presentations are made through field days, extension meetings, on-farm demonstrations and field tours, and informal coffee meetings. Research results are published in Research Station reports, newsletters, and articles published in general press publications. Radio interviews provide additional information to farmers and agronomists in the region. Data are provided to county extension agents for incorporation into their presentations, radio broadcasts, and newsletters. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One graduate student was trained in soil health in the Department of Agronomy. He successfully completed his Ph.D. dissertation in Dec., 2018, and is now a post-doctoral scholar at another university. Two manuscripts of his research have been published, and a third is in progress. A second visiting graduate student was trained in modeling crop disease in the Department of Agronomy. He has completed the research and a publication is in preparation. These graduate students also made several presentations at scientific conferences. Two undergraduate researchers were involved in plant and soil data collection and analysis. Farmers, extension agents, and agronomists were trained through field days, demonstrations, and extension presentations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations on soil health, erosion, and wheat and soybean disease were given to producers at field days, extension meetings, and information coffee meetings. One radio interview on disease suppression in soybeans using the cover crop system was conducted, and broadcast through the K-State Agronomy Radio Network. This research was also the basis of a publication by the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) for their Retaking the Field publication. A second interview on general crop production formed the basis of a newspaper article. Two presentations were made at scientific meetings, and nine reports of progress were published for farmers. Two field days and demonstrations were developed and presented to farmers. Ten presentations were made to farmers, conservationists, extension agents and agronomist on crop production systems, conservation practices, and soil health. County Extension Agents were trained at an agent update held in southeast Kansas. One webinar and two short courses were given to landowners; three classroom presentations on site-specific management were given to undergraduate and graduate classes. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Soilborne pathogens and soil community structure will be measured in crop fields (wheat, corn and soybean). Cover crops (grasses, brassicas, legumes, and broad-leaved species) will be planted in replicated field trials in research plots and on-farm in both tilled and no-till production systems. Soil health and disease pressure will be measured in plants, soils, and harvested grain using standard assays. Yield, quality, and disease presence will be measured in wheat and soybeans planted after cover crops. Economic return of management practices will be determined using enterprise budgets. Results will be transferred to farmers through on-farm field tours, educational presentations, and workshops.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. To discover, identify, and characterize microbes, biological control agents, biorational compounds, pathogen-suppressive microbiomes, as well as cultural practices and organic amendments that reduce plant diseases and damage cause by soilborne plant pathogens and improve soil health. Soil microorganisms are critical for good soil function. Inherent soil properties and management practices, including tillage and crop rotation, alter microbial structure and function in the soil profile. Research examined key soil microbial properties by under conventional and conservation management in crop production fields and a hay meadow. Vertical and temporal changes in microbial properties were measured in a corn/winter wheat/soybean rotation, including extracellular enzyme activity, microbial structure as measured by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), and soil chemical properties (nutrients and texture). The hay meadow had the highest activities of soil C, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass, followed by the no-till fields. Greater enzyme activities in the claypan layer resulted from both the clay-enzyme interaction and impacts from management practices. Microbial properties at the soil surface are determined by the crop (corn, wheat or soybeans) and soil management practices (conventional or conservation); in deeper soil layers, microbial activities are dependent on the interaction of management and pedogenetic properties. Incorporating grasses in the crop rotation may provide additional nutrient resources to crops through enhanced utilization of the soil profile. Wheat in the crop rotation supports greater microbial activity and biomass after corn harvest, especially in no-till management. Wheat also increased hydrolase activity and bacterial biomass more than corn, while microbial activities were stable during soybean growth. Continued research on the control of charcoal rot in soybeans determined that the method of managing the mustard cover crop impacted the disease presence. When the mustard cover crop was rolled instead of being incorporated with tillage, a greater reduction in colony forming units (CFUs) of the disease organisms was measured. This will further benefit soil productive capacity by providing producers with a management system that reduces use of tillage. 2. Develop, assess, and promote sustainable management strategies and practices for soilborne pathogens that are IPM-based and are compatible with soil health management. Fusarium head blight (FHB) infestations in wheat have occurred frequently in recent years, reducing yield and quality. Wheat is particularly susceptible to the disease when high rainfall or humidity occur during the flowering period, which is common in southeast Kansas. Accurate prediction of wheat phenological development is important to provide accurate and timely remediation through use of fungicides. In this research, three wheat phenological models were evaluated: APSIM, SIMPLACE, and Modified-SIMPLACE (MS). The Modified-SIMPLACE (MS) model was the best predictor of heading date for each variety in all the locations (r2>0.7, RMSE<5) with the lowest mean ABS value (ABS = 1.84 days). The results indicated that the differences between parameter characteristics for the same variety in different locations were not significant, but the varietal differences in the same location were significant. This model may be a useful tool for producers to time application of fungicide for control of FHB in wheat. 3. Provide outreach, education, extension and technology transfer to grower, stakeholders, students and other scientists. Presentations on soil health, erosion, and wheat and soybean disease were given to producers at field days, extension meetings, and information coffee meetings. One radio interview on disease suppression in soybeans using the cover crop system was conducted, and broadcast through the K-State Agronomy Radio Network. This research was also the basis of a publication by the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) for their Retaking the Field publication. A second interview on general crop production formed the basis of a newspaper article. Two presentations were made at scientific meetings, and nine reports of progress were published for farmers. Two field days and demonstrations were developed and presented to farmers. Ten presentations were made to farmers, conservationists, extension agents and agronomist on crop production systems, conservation practices, and soil health. County Extension Agents were trained at an agent update held in southeast Kansas. One webinar and two short courses were given to landowners; three classroom presentations on site-specific management were given to undergraduate and graduate classes.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hsiao, C.-J., Sassenrath, G.F., Zeglin, L., Hettiarachchi, G.M., Rice, C.W. 2018. Vertical stratification of soil microbial properties in claypan soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 121L154-164. doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.03.012
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hsiao, C.-J., Sassenrath, G.F., Rice, C.W., Zeglin, L.H. 2018. Long-term fertilization and tillage effects on soil microbial properties with depth. Abstract 111912. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, Nov. 4-7, 2018, Baltimore, MD
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Zhao, H., Sassenrath, G., Lin, X. Evaluation of winter wheat phenology models in eastern Kansas. Abstract 112183. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, Nov. 4-7, 2018, Baltimore, MD
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hsiao, C.J., Sassenrath, G.F., Zeglin, L.H., Hettiarachchi, G.M., Rice, C.W. 2019. Temporal variation of soil microbial properties in a corn-wheat-soybean system. SSSAJ. doi: 10.2136/sssaj2019.05.0160
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sassenrath, G.F., Farney, J., Lollato, R. 2019. Impact of fungicide and insecticide use on wheat production in a high-rainfall environment. Crop, Forage and Turfgrass Management. 5:190008. doi:10.2134/cftm2019.01.0008
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sassenrath, G.F., Little, C., Roozeboom, K., Lin, X., Jardine, D. 2019. Controlling soil-borne disease in soybean with a mustard cover crop. Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 5: Iss. 2.https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7740
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zhao, H., Sassenrath, G.F., Lin, X., Lollato, R., De Wolf, E.D. 2019. Modeling wheat susceptibility to disease. Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 5: Iss. 2. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7742
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hsiao, C.J., Sassenrath, G.F., Zeglin, L., Hettiarachchi, G., Rice, C. 2019. Changes in soil microbiology under conventional and no-till production during crop rotation. Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 5: Iss. 2. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7746
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hsiao, C.-J. 2018. Microbial Properties of Soils: Effects of Management and Pedogenesis. Kansas State University. https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/39380