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Commercial strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) plants propagate through the development of stolons (runners) with attached daughter plants. While it is known that temperature and photoperiod affect strawberry propagation, little knowledge exists on whether cultural methods may influence stolon and daughter plant development. The objective of this study was to characterize the impact of three stolon removal treatments on the development of daughter plants in the ever-bearing strawberry ‘Albion’. Treatments included 1) stolon removal every 7 days, nine times total; 2) stolon removal every 21 days, three times total; and 3) one-time stolon removal after 63 days. Strawberry plants were grown in a controlled environment (26 °C, 507 μmol⋅m–2⋅s–1 photosynthetic photon flux density, 14-hour photoperiod) in soilless media and fertilized with a customized nutrient solution. Mother plants in the 63-day treatment produced more daughter plants (102 per plant), than in the 21-day treatment (33 per plant) and the 7-day treatment (16 per plant). In the 63-day treatment, daughter plants and stolons accumulated to 86.6% of the total biomass, to 42.9% in the 7-day treatment and to 60.6% of total biomass in the 21-day treatment. Mother plant organs (including roots, crown, and leaves) had less dry weight in the 63-day treatment compared with the 7-day treatment and 21-day treatment, respectively. Furthermore, the daughter plants produced at the 63-day treatment had smaller crown diameters (0.65 cm) and less dry weight (0.51 g) and a higher number of fully expanded leaves (2.9) and visible roots (13.4) compared with the 21-day treatment and the 7-day treatment. The results of this study show daughter plant production of strawberry plants declines significantly with shorter stolon removal intervals, indicating the need to adjust stolon removal in strawberry nurseries for optimal daughter plant production.
Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a colorless aliphatic oil that naturally occurs in many plants of the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). It has antimicrobial activity and is used as pesticide for a variety of applications. However, AITC as a soil disinfectant has exhibited inconsistent weed and pathogen control, mainly because of its higher viscosity and low vapor pressure (5 mmHg at 25 °C). Steam, however, effectively controls soil-borne pathogens if soil temperatures of 65 °C or more are reached for a minimum duration of 30 minutes. We hypothesized that steam applications targeting lower temperatures, when combined with soil-injected AITC, will provide sufficient weed and pathogen control. We further hypothesized that the combination of AITC and steam will lead to higher strawberry yields compared with either of the components on their own. Two strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa cv. Camarosa) trials were conducted during two consecutive seasons (2020–21 and 2021–22). The trials were conducted at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton, NC, USA, and the Horticulture Research Station in Castle Hayne, NC, USA. Eight treatments and a nontreated control were established in a randomized complete block design (four replicates each). The treatments were Pic-Clor 60, AITC, AITC followed by 60 minutes of steam injection, AITC followed by 30 minutes of steam injection, AITC followed by 10 minutes of steam injection, 60 minutes of steam injection, 30 minutes of steam injection, and 10 minutes of steam injection. Soilborne pathogen control efficacy was assessed using wet Pythium sp. plating assays. Weed control was assessed through weed seed/tuber germination assays. Our results showed that combining ATIC with steam did not reduce weed or pathogen levels or improve yield when compared with AITC alone or Pic-Clor 60. Moreover, treatment comprising steam alone did not provide sufficient control. However, AITC alone controlled weeds and pathogens as effectively as Pic-Clor 60 during both years and both locations of the study. These results showed that AITC alone could be a potential alternative soil disinfectant for Eastern North Carolina strawberry production.
Steam has long been used to disinfest greenhouse soils. However, there is increasing interest in expanding the use of steam for in-field soil disinfestation as an alternative to chemical fumigants. Previous studies demonstrated that allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) reduced viability of weed seeds and plant pathogen propagules, but AITC has a low vapor pressure and is relatively immobile in soil. Heat has been used in the past to enhance the mobility of soil fumigants such as methyl bromide (i.e., “hot gassing”). The effect of steam heat on the mobility of AITC is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential synergistic effect of steam plus ATIC against weed seeds and a plant pathogen. AITC alone did not reduce the viability of the four weed species and the number of Verticillium dahliae microsclerotia. The steam + AITC treatment reduced the viability of V. dahliae at 12.5 and 18 cm distances by 82% and 88%, respectively, and knotweed and nettle seeds at 70 cm from injection point by 75% and 86%, respectively, from the center of microplots compared with steam alone. The results suggest that AITC and steam have a complementary effect on soilborne pests because steam increases the mobility of AITC.
More than 3000 acres of commercial muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) vineyards exist in the southeastern United States. The muscadine wine industry is generating an economic impact of $1 billion in North Carolina alone. Muscadines have been cultivated since the 1800s, but muscadine vineyard fertilizer programs, tissue sampling, and nutrient sufficiency ranges continue to be based on anecdotal knowledge. While seasonal changes in tissue nutrient concentration are well documented in bunch grape (Vitis vinifera), questions remain about the seasonal and cultivar-dependent dynamics of muscadine leaf tissue nutrient concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess temporal and cultivar-related differences in tissue nutrient concentration of mature commercially grown muscadines. Leaf tissue nutrient concentration of the muscadine cultivars Carlos and Noble were assessed in three vineyards (Piedmont North Carolina, north Georgia, and south Georgia) at bloom, véraison, and postharvest in 2018 and 2019. Our results show that nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and manganese (Mn) were generally above the recommended sufficiency ranges, with calcium increasing over the season—and N, P, and potassium decreasing over the season. ‘Carlos’ had significantly higher levels of N and P, compared with ‘Noble’, while ‘Noble’ showed higher Mn concentration than ‘Carlos’. With this evaluation, we demonstrate the need for a modification in muscadine tissue nutrient sufficiency ranges that are based on cultivar and vine growth stage.
Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a glucosinolate produced in cruciferous plant species. AITC is known to act as a pesticide on microorganisms, insects, and weeds. Synthetic AITC is registered as a biopesticide for agricultural soil treatment use in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Although a potent pesticide, reports on the weed and pathogen control efficacy of synthetic AITC applied as soil disinfectant are highly variable. Due to the low vapor pressure of AITC, questions remain as to whether pest and weed control efficacy can be improved by combining it with other chemicals. The objective of this study was to assess the control efficacy of AITC stand-alone applications vs. applications, in which AITC was combined with the standard-fumigants chloropicrin, 1,3-dichloropicrin, and methyl isothiocyanate. Two shank-applied on-farm field trials were conducted in cut flower [delphinium (Delphinium elatum), ranunculus (Ranunculus asiaticus)] fields, and two drip tape applied field trials in strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) fields in California. Weed pressure, weed seed viability, nematode survival, and pathogen survival of Pythium ultimum, fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), and verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) were assessed. Cumulative yearly yield of marketable fruit was assessed in the strawberry field trials. The results of this study show that the use of AITC as a stand-alone treatment provided no consistent weed or pathogen control efficacy. However, our results also indicate that shank and drip applied multitactic fumigation approaches with AITC can efficiently control soil-borne diseases and weeds. These findings have potential implications, especially in those areas where certain fumigants are restricted due to regulations and/or availability.
The asian citrus psyllid [Diaphorina citri (Sternorrhyncha: Psyllidae)] is a detrimental pest to citrus (Citrus spp.) crops when it serves as a vector of the pathogen that causes greening (huanglongbing). Transmission of this disease causes mottling, chlorosis, dieback, and reductions in fruit size and quality. Citrus producers have found that many pesticides, when applied properly, are very effective at suppressing or eliminating asian citrus psyllids in groves. Due to the threat of greening, several pesticides have been granted Special Local Needs registration for use in the state of Florida if the product is sprayed with a volume median diameter of 90 μm or greater. A number of studies involving numerous citrus sprayers and a.i. were conducted to determine the droplet sizes generated by different sprayers operating under user-established settings and the adjustments required to those settings for the sprayers to meet the 90-μm requirement. In the sprayer tests, it was found that reductions in engine speed or increases in flow rate were required to increase droplet sizes to meet the product label-required droplet size. As the equipment tested here represent the most typical application equipment used in Florida for asian citrus psyllid control, these results will provide applicators, growers, and extension agents with general guidelines to ensure that spray systems are operated in a manner that complies with label restrictions.