November 2020 - 12
PLANT AND SOIL NUTRITION
UC explores alternatives to fumigants for strawberries
By Pamela Kan-Rice
University of California
Strawberries, which generated
$2.2 billion for California growers
mainly on the coast in 2019, are
sensitive to soilborne diseases.
Strawberry plant roots infected by
fungi are unable to take in nutrients
and water, causing the leaves and stems
to wilt. The diseases reduce fruit yields
and eventually kill infected plants.
To protect the delicate plants from
pathogens, strawberry growers
fumigate the soil with pesticides such as
chloropicrin and 1,3-dichloropropene
before planting transplants. Due to
the potential negative effects on the
environment and human health, however,
use of fumigants are highly regulated and
developing non-fumigant alternatives has
been a priority of the strawberry industry.
For a biological alternative to
manage soilborne diseases in
strawberries, Joji Muramoto, UC
Cooperative Extension organic
production specialist based at UC
Santa Cruz, has received a $411,395
grant from USDA National Institute
of Food and Agriculture to study
the ability of other crops to suppress
Soilborne diseases reduce strawberry yields and eventually kill infected plants. Photos: Joji Muramoto
strawberry pathogens in the soil.
Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium
dahliae, is a common soilborne disease
that can be controlled with anaerobic
soil disinfestation (ASD), a
fermentation-based biological
treatment using carbon sources such as
rice bran under plastic mulch in moist
soils for 3 to 5 weeks in autumn. About
2,000 acres of berry fields, mostly
organic, were treated with ASD in
California and Baja California, Mexico,
in 2019.
In 2008-09, the diseases fusarium
wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum
f. sp. fragariae, and charcoal rot,
caused by Macrophomina phaseolina,
emerged in Southern California
and now threaten strawberry plants
throughout the state.
ASD isn't as effective against
F. oxysporum and M. phaseolina unless
it is applied in summer on the coast.
As saprophytes, they feed not only on
living plants, but also can colonize crop
residues and rice bran especially at
lower coastal temperatures in autumn.
Same field.
More yield.
For healthier soil and better
quality crops
Use Polysulphate®
fertilizer to
supply plant-available sulfur,
potassium, magnesium and
calcium in a single application.
Polysulphate's prolonged
availability of nutrients reduces
the risk of leaching and gradually
releases the key nutrients to the
growing crop, improving yield,
quality and profits.
S 19.2% S
K 14% K2O Mg 3.6% Mg Ca 12.2% Ca
More information at
www.polysulphate.com/introducing-polysulphate
12 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
http://www.polysulphate.com/introducing-polysulphate
http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
November 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2020
November 2020 - 1
November 2020 - 2
November 2020 - 3
November 2020 - 4
November 2020 - 5
November 2020 - 6
November 2020 - 7
November 2020 - 8
November 2020 - 9
November 2020 - 10
November 2020 - 11
November 2020 - 12
November 2020 - 13
November 2020 - 14
November 2020 - 15
November 2020 - 16
November 2020 - 17
November 2020 - 18
November 2020 - 19
November 2020 - 20
November 2020 - 21
November 2020 - 22
November 2020 - 23
November 2020 - 24
November 2020 - 25
November 2020 - 26
November 2020 - 27
November 2020 - 28
November 2020 - 29
November 2020 - 30
November 2020 - 31
November 2020 - 32
November 2020 - 33
November 2020 - 34
November 2020 - 35
November 2020 - 36
November 2020 - 37
November 2020 - 38
November 2020 - 39
November 2020 - 40
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-2025-digital-seed-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com