TY - JOUR
T1 - Soil moisture affects disease severity and colonisation of wheat roots by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8
AU - Gill, J.S.
AU - Sivasithamparam, Krishnapillai
AU - Smettem, Keith
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Experiments were conducted to study how the soil moisture affects rhizoctonia root rot of wheat, colonisation of root by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8, spread of fungus in the soil and microbial activity of soil. Four soil moisture levels ranging from 15 to 75% water-holding capacity of a sandy soil at saturation, which equated to a soil water potential range of - 10 to - 3 kPa, were tested. It was found that the disease severity decreased up to 69%, as the soil became wetter. The soil moisture status at and above 20% WHC however, did not significantly affect the spread of the fungus in soil. Colonisation of roots by young unpigmented hyphae of the fungus diminished with increasing soil moisture, from 80% of root length colonised under relatively dry conditions (15% WHC) to 20-25% under wet conditions (75% WHC). Soil microbial activity increased with increasing soil moisture and may be associated with suppression of pathogen activity through competition. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
AB - Experiments were conducted to study how the soil moisture affects rhizoctonia root rot of wheat, colonisation of root by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8, spread of fungus in the soil and microbial activity of soil. Four soil moisture levels ranging from 15 to 75% water-holding capacity of a sandy soil at saturation, which equated to a soil water potential range of - 10 to - 3 kPa, were tested. It was found that the disease severity decreased up to 69%, as the soil became wetter. The soil moisture status at and above 20% WHC however, did not significantly affect the spread of the fungus in soil. Colonisation of roots by young unpigmented hyphae of the fungus diminished with increasing soil moisture, from 80% of root length colonised under relatively dry conditions (15% WHC) to 20-25% under wet conditions (75% WHC). Soil microbial activity increased with increasing soil moisture and may be associated with suppression of pathogen activity through competition. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
U2 - 10.1016/S0038-0717(01)00041-4
DO - 10.1016/S0038-0717(01)00041-4
M3 - Article
VL - 33
SP - 1363
EP - 1370
JO - Soil Biology & Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology & Biochemistry
SN - 0038-0717
ER -