Brassica Biofumigants for Improved Soil Health†
Queensland Government-Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Gatton, QLD 487, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the third International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019), Brisbane, Australia, 11–13 November 2019.
Proceedings 2019, 36(1), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036077
Published: 21 January 2020
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The Third International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019))
Biofumigation involves growing specialised cover crops that have the ability to suppress certain soil-borne diseases. Species such as those in the Brassicaceae family, (e.g., radish, mustard and rocket) are known to have this capability. Biofumigation activity is initiated by the degradation of glucosinolates within the tissues of the plant when the crop is incorporated into the soil at approx. 25% flowering rate. In this experiment, nine bio-fumigant varieties were assessed over six planting dates for biomass yield, irrigation management, glucosinolate concentration and efficacy against three soilborne pathogens, namely; Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Macrophomina phaseolina. Preliminary results showed incorporation dates varied across varieties and planting times. Winter planting had highest biomass yield across all varieties, compared with the summer plantings (e.g., 14.82 t/ha in winter, versus 5.02 t/ha in summer for Caliente). The efficacy of disease suppression was variable between variety and planting date. For example, Nemfix and BQ Mulch produced a higher percentage mortality rate (100% and 98%) against S. sclerotiorum, compared with autumn (22% and 12%) and winter (37% and 13%) planting. High glucosinolate production was observed during the summer plantings, where irrigation treatments including drought conditions (Low; 0.75 ML/ha), moderate watering (Medium; 2 ML/ha) and field capacity (High; 2.5 ML/ha) were applied. Increased glucosinolate concentrations were observed in the Low irrigation treatments (e.g., Mustclean; 32.31 μmol/g DW), versus High irrigation (e.g., Mustclean; 17.11 μmol/g DW). Summer data pending analysis. These findings can help growers to identify biofumigant varieties that compliment rotation program and optimise disease management practices.
Keywords:
biofumigation; soilborne pathogens; efficacy; incorporation; irrigation; glucosinolates
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MDPI and ACS Style
Rajagopal, G.; Duff, J.; Hall, Z. Brassica Biofumigants for Improved Soil Health. Proceedings 2019, 36, 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036077
AMA Style
Rajagopal G, Duff J, Hall Z. Brassica Biofumigants for Improved Soil Health. Proceedings. 2019; 36(1):77. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036077
Chicago/Turabian StyleRajagopal, Gayathri; Duff, John; Hall, Zara. 2019. "Brassica Biofumigants for Improved Soil Health" Proceedings 36, no. 1: 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036077
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