Bioresponse of Nontarget Organisms Resulting from the Use of Chloropicrin to Control Laminated Root Rot in a Northwest Conifer Forest
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Bioresponse of Nontarget Organisms Resulting from the Use of Chloropicrin To Control Laminated Root Rot in a Northwest Conifer Forest: Part 2. Evaluation of Bioresponses by Elaine R. Ingham, Walter G. Thies, Daniel L. Luoma 2 , Andrew R. Moldenke3 and Michael A. CasteIland Author affiliation: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service; Department of Entomology, Oregon State University, OR. Known impacts of chloropicrin choices, and position in the food Nematode populations are web will expose the diversity of reduced by chloropicrin alone and species to different concentrations Most research has in combination with methyl of fumigant. concentrated on the effects of bromide or dazomet. Research combinations of methyl bromide has concentrated on the and chloropicrin fumigants on commercially important parasites Objectives disease-causing organisms. Little of plant roots and no information research has been reported on the was found on free-living fungal or One objective of this study was response of saprophytic fungi to bacterial feeding nematodes. to determine changes in diversity chloropicrin. Some evidence exists Fumigation reduced the nematode of specific nontarget organism for the escape of some species of root pathogens Meloidogyne spp. components of a coastal ecosystem fungi during fumigation efforts and Paratrichodorus minor which occur as a result of thus positioning the survivors for (Sumner et al. 1985) and application of chloropicrin to rapid recolonization of the chloropicrin in combination with stumps to control laminated root available substrate. The ethylene dibromide reduced rot. A major challenge was to occurrence of Trichoderma spp. in Belonolimus longicaudatus, evaluate the impact of chloropicrin roots of fumigated Douglas-fir Meloidogyne incognita, and on a range of organism groups. A stumps was noted during the Hoplolaimus galeatus (Rhoades sample scheme capable of evaluation of several fumigants for 1983). distinguishing at least two levels of the control of laminated root rot spatial variability was designed. (Thies and Nelson 1982). As a measure of species Background variability of the Following fumigation, increased richness, soil arthropods in conifer organisms resulting from numbers of Trichoderma spp. were forests of the Pacific Northwest heterogeneity in soil microsites found in some soils (Mughogho average nearly 200 species/m2 and seasonal shifts is a common 1968). Combinations of methyl (personal communications Andrew difficulty in studies of soil bromide and chloropicrin control a R. Moldenke, Oregon State organisms. Sampling intensity had variety of soil-borne diseases in University, Corvallis, OR). Thus to be great enough that treatment forest tree nurseries (Peterson and soil arthropods may be an effects could be assessed, without Smith 1975) and can reduce important and sensitive indicator increasing the work load beyond populations of various other fungi. to evaluate potential ecosystem that of a limited budget. These include VA mycorrhizal effects of chloropicrin on fungi (Jones and Hendrix 1987, nontarget soil organisms. Soil The approach described here McGraw and Hendrix 1986), arthropods are sensitive indicators can be applied to any ecosystem, ectomycorrhizal fungi (Trappe et for soil moisture, successional and to a number of situations al. 1984), as well as root stages, plant communities, and where effects of pesticide disease-causing species of Pythium, mycorrhizal biomass (Cromack et application need to be assessed. Rhizoctonia, Phoma (Sumner et. al. 1988, Moldenke and Fichter With this approach, the effect of al. 1985), Helicobasidum momta, 1988). All arthropod species are pesticide on plants, soil detrital (Sakuwa et al. 1984), Verticillium presumed to be sensitive to foodweb organisms, mycorrhizal albo-atrum, and Sclerotium chloropicrin, although differing colonization of dominant plants, (Himelrick 1986). feeding preference, microhabitat and survival of sensitive bioassay HOW CAN THEIR EFFECTS BE MONITORED? 85 NONTARGET BIORESPONSE TO CHLOROPICRIN: 2. EVALUATION plants can be interpreted in a three mature trees in adjacent un- (Ingham et al. 1985; Ingham and biologically meaningful manner at cut stands were mapped. Circular Horton, 1987). Mycorrhizal fungi a number of spatial scales. For treatment plots 0.4 ha in size were are extremely important in survival example, the pesticide may reduce established in the clearcut area of Douglas-fir; in field sites, root rot, but destroy those and blocked into groups of four Douglas-fir is not found without organisms responsible for nutrient based on similar inoculum rating the symbiotic fungus (Trappe et al. cycling, or could allow another (see part 1 for explanation). Each 1984). Thus, monitoring pathogen to become a problem, of the four plots in each block mycorrhizal fungi can be extremely exchanging one pathogen problem received one of the following important in determining if for another. Root-feeding treatments: all stumps treated with pesticides have an effect. nematodes might be advantaged, 100% chloropicrin, only infected resulting in seedling death. stumps treated with 100% Tomatoes and alfalfa were Alternatively, greater mycorrhizal chloropicrin, all stumps treated planted in the field sites. Tomato colonization of roots might occur, with 20% chloropicrin, and a is extremely sensitive to and benefit the survival of desired control plot with no application chloropicrin (Rhoades 1983), and plant species. Before we continue chloropicrin. The 100% label alfalfa is symbiotic with N-fixing with the use of pesticides, we dosage was 3.3 ml of chloropicrin rhizobium. Release of should attempt to understand per kilogram of stump and root chloropicrin in field soils could be beneficial or detrimental biomass. monitored with tomato, and interactions which may be natural populations of rhizobia produced. Our approach allows us could be assessed by examining the to assess these possible beneficial Choice of bio-response parameters roots of the alfalfa. or detrimental effects. Bio-response assessment was initiated in the spring of 1989. Spatial scales Experimental site Five major component groups of organisms were assessed; the Within the 0.4 ha circular plots, When the experimental site above ground plant community, responses were monitored on was cut early in the fall of 1988, detrital foodweb organisms, several spatial scales, as well as see Part 1. of this study, p. 81) soil mycorrhizal colonization of over time. consisted of a moss (bryophyte) Douglas-fir roots, and the response Aboveground higher plant layer overlying poorly developed of chloropicrin-sensitive plants. responses were assessed each litter, and fermentation layers, with These assessments will continue spring and fall by monitoring a 1-5 cm depth humus soil horizon until the fall of 1991. percent cover of each species resulting from the rapid present, decomposition rates in these Soil foodweb organisms systems. When soil development respond more rapidly than plants in the entire plot, is limited, nutrient cycling is to environmental change and usually tightly coupled to organism disturbance. Responses of in six 2 m X 3 m plots dynamics (Read and Birch, 1988; bacteria and fungi often reflect arranged sequentially at 1, 2 and 3 Perry et al. 1989). When litter day-by-day fluctuations in meters from four individual stumps falls to the forest floor, it is rapidly temperature, moisture, grazing, at the edge of the plot, and decomposed, and the nutrients and nutrient availability, and thus converted to microbial biomass. are not useful as measures of (3) in six 1 meter square plots These nutrients are then released ecosystem response to disturbance. located between two stumps within by arthropod, nematode and However, by examining changes in 2 meters of each other. protozoan grazing of decomposers, activity, in ratios of fungal to resulting in high soil fertility and bacterial biomass, or important maximum nutrient availability to populations of microorganisms, Detrital foodweb responses plants during times of rapid plant longer term impacts on the system (numbers and activity of bacteria, utilization (Coleman 1985). can be assessed. active and total fungal biomass, However, with clearcutting, much and numbers and community of the thin soil layer was destroyed Protozoa, nematodes and structure of protozoa, nematodes, and mineral soil revealed. microarthropods are intimately and microarthropods) were involved in nutrient cycling monitored over time. Samples The location of each infected (Coleman 1985) and thus are good were taken mid-spring, early stump in the clearcut stand and indicators of ecosystem health 86 PESTICIDES IN NATURAL SYSTEMS: Ingham, et. al. summer, late summer, and mid- microscopic viewing (Darbyshire, stand. The blocking initiated at fall each year. et al. 1974). Nematodes were the beginning of the study based assessed by Baerman extraction on Phellinus inoculum density in To determine if soil organism and microscopic observation stumps reflected changes in soil numbers, activity or community (Anderson and Coleman, 1977). organism community structure, structure changed on a whole plot Microarthropod numbers were and was related to surface soil spatial scale, twelve random points assessed by high efficiency characteristics. We use these were sampled in each of five plots Tullgren extraction and block effects as covariates in per treatment on the four sample observation (Merchant