ABSTRACT EDMUNDS, BROOKE AURORA. Factors Affecting Susceptibility To
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ABSTRACT EDMUNDS, BROOKE AURORA. Factors Affecting Susceptibility to - and Management of - Postharvest Soft Rot of Sweetpotatoes Caused by Rhizopus stolonifer. (Under the direction of Gerald J. Holmes). Studies were undertaken to explore the relationship of R. stolonifer susceptibility with preharvest growing conditions and postharvest handling of sweetpotatoes. Additional studies were also completed to identify effective decay control products. A three-year study investigated the effect of preharvest conditions on R. stolonifer and Erwinia chrysanthemi susceptibility. Roots were harvested from 75 sweetpotato fields and information collected including soil samples, weather during the growing season, weed density, and insect injury (153 predictors). Roots were inoculated after 100 days in storage. Mean R. stolonifer incidence was 34.9% (standard deviation=31.7%) and mean E. chrysanthemi incidence was 51.0% (standard deviation=30.5%). Predictive models were developed using forward stepwise regression to identify predictors of interest, followed by mixed model analysis (p-value<0.05) to produce a final model. R. stolonifer susceptibility is best predicted by soil calcium (% CEC), plant-available soil phosphorus, soil humic matter (%), mean air temperature, mean volumetric soil moisture at 40 cm, and mean soil temperature at 2 cm (all over the growing season). E. chrysanthemi susceptibility is best predicted by soil pH and days that soil temperature exceeds 32 ºC (14 days pre- harvest). Studies were also conducted to define the relationship between postharvest handling and susceptibility to R. stolonifer. Experiments designed to simulate packingline handling found root ends are more susceptible that mid-sections and that increasing the number of time a root is dropped as well as increasing the impact force resulted in increased decay susceptibility. ‘Hernandez’ roots were significantly more susceptible than ‘Beauregard’ in all experiments. To confirm the relationship of impacts and disease development, Beauregard roots were sampled from locations along commercial packinglines. High decay in inoculated as compared to non-inoculated roots indicates that wounding is occurring that could result in disease if the pathogen was present at higher levels. Evaluations of reduced-risk fungicides, bio-fungicides and generally recognized as safe products for efficacy against R. stolonifer found that reduced-risk chemistries boscalid+pyraclostrobin and fludioxonil significantly reduced R. stolonifer development and performed similarly to dicloran. Pseudomonas syringae based products were moderately effective although results were extremely variable among tests. Generally recognized as safe treatments were ineffective by testing methods used. ii Factors Affecting Susceptibility to - and Management of - Postharvest Soft Rot of Sweetpotatoes Caused by Rhizopus stolonifer by Brooke Aurora Edmunds A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Plant Pathology Raleigh, North Carolina June 26, 2008 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ ______________________________ Gerald J. Holmes James W. Moyer Committee Chair ________________________________ ______________________________ D. Michael Benson LeeAnn Jaykus BIOGRAPHY Brooke Aurora Edmunds was born on September 22, 1977 in Roseburg, Oregon to Doug and Jean Edmunds. While attending Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, IL she because interested in biology and botany. Brooke pursued her interests at Iowa State University in Ames, IA and earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in Plant Health and Protection. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Brooke worked in the Plant Disease Clinic and in the research lab of Dr. Mark Gleason. Her undergraduate research project was expanded in a master’s degree which she obtained in 2003. Her MS project focused on crown rot of hosta caused by Sclerotium rolfsii var. delphinii. In 2004, Brooke decided to pursue a PhD in Plant Pathology with Dr. Gerald Holmes. She chose this particular project because of her interest in pursuing a career in Extension education and knew that it would prepare her well. Her degree requirements were completed in Fall 2008 and she has accepted a Regional Extension Specialist position with Colorado State University Extension. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Holmes for sharing his Extension expertise and being willing to serve as my advisor. I would also like to thank all members of my committee, Dr. Benson, Dr. Jaykus and Dr. Moyer, for providing guidance and feedback. I would like to thank Mike Adams for all of his support and assistance. I would like to thank all of the hourly workers who assisted with this project, especially Blair Cook for his excellent sense of humor and friendship. I would like to thank my lab mate, Sue Colucci, for all the trips to get coffee, for being the best listener, and a great friend. I would like to thank all of my fellow graduate students and friends, especially Andi Lynn Dolezal and Rick Jones, for the support and friendship. I couldn’t have finished without you guys! I would also like to thank my family, especially my parents Jean and Doug, for their constant support and encouragement during my college and graduate career. Thank you for always being there and pushing me to excel! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………... vi LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………. vii CHAPTER 1. Review of relevant literature……………………………………………. 1 Introduction…………………………………………..……………………….. 1 Biology of Rhizopus stolonifer and disease cycle on sweetpotato…………….. 3 Management of Rhizopus soft rot…………………………………………..… 6 Preharvest factors affecting Rhizopus susceptibility…………...……………… 13 Postharvest factors affecting Rhizopus susceptibility………………………….. 17 Research objectives…………………………………………..……………….. 21 References cited………………………………………………………………... 23 CHAPTER 2. Relationships of weather conditions and soil factors to susceptibility of sweetpotatoes to postharvest decay caused by Rhizopus stolonifer and Erwinia chrysanthemi…………………………………………………........................................ 35 Abstract………………………………………………………………………… 35 Introduction……………………………………………………………………. 36 Materials and methods…………………………………………………………. 38 Results.……………………………………………………………………..….. 42 Discussion……………………………………………………………………… 47 References………………………………………..…………………….……… 52 CHAPTER 3. Susceptibility of sweetpotatoes (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) to decay by Rhizopus stolonifer as related to injuries occurring on packinglines…………………... 66 Abstract………………………………………………………………………… 66 Introduction……………………………………………………………..…….. 67 Methods………………………………………………………………………... 69 Results……………………………………………………..…………….…….. 76 Discussion……………………………………………………………………… 79 iv References………………..………………………………………………….… 84 CHAPTER 4. Evaluation of alternative decay control products for control of postharvest Rhizopus soft rot of sweetpotatoes………………………………………... 92 Abstract………………………………………………………………………… 92 Introduction………………………………………………………………...….. 93 Product efficacy trials…………………….……………………………………. 95 Effect of decay control treatments on Rhizopus soft rot…………………..….. 98 Summary……………………………………………………………………….. 101 Literature cited…………………………………………………………………. 103 CHAPTER 5. Multi-state Extension bulletin: The postharvest handling of 115 sweetpotatoes…………………………........................................................................... APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………….. 172 APPENDIX A. Effect of planting and harvest date on postharvest susceptibility of sweetpotatoes to Rhizopus soft rot in North Carolina……….. 173 APPENDIX B. Effect of preharvest applications of the herbicide flumioxazin on postharvest susceptibility of sweetpotatoes to Rhizopus soft rot…………... 179 APPENDIX C. Effect of crop rotation on postharvest susceptibility of sweetpotatoes to Rhizopus soft rot in North Carolina…………………………. 183 v LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Potential predictors of Rhizopus soft rot and bacterial root rot incidence recorded for each sweetpotato field location in North Carolina, 2004- 2006………………………………………………………………………. 55 Table 2.2. Relationships of Erwinia chrysanthemi and Rhizopus stolonifer susceptibility of sweetpotatoes (cv. Beauregard) to soil texture, chemistry and fertility measured at harvest in North Carolina, 2004-2006…………. 56 Table 2.3 Relationship of Erwinia chrysanthemi and Rhizopus stolonifer susceptibility of sweetpotatoes (cv. Beauregard) to mean air temperature, soil temperature, and soil moisture in North Carolina, 2004-2006……… 57 Table 2.4. Relationships of Erwinia chrysanthemi and Rhizopus stolonifer susceptibility of sweetpotatoes (cv. Beauregard) to high and low soil and air temperature in North Carolina, 2004-2006…………………………… 58 Table 2.5. Relationships of Erwinia chrysanthemi and Rhizopus stolonifer susceptibility of sweetpotatoes (cv. Beauregard) to high and low soil moisture in North Carolina, 2004-2006…………………………………... 59 Table 2.6. Final reduced models selected by stepwise regression followed by mixed model analysis to explain the postharvest susceptibility of sweetpotatoes (cv. Beauregard) to Rhizopus stolonifer and Erwinia chrysanthemi using weather and soil parameters………………………………………………. 60 Table 3.1. Mean maximum impact force (m/s2) associated with common impact surfaces on 23 sweetpotato packinglines in Louisiana and 17 packinglines in North Carolina.................................................................... 87 Table