Effects of Production Practices on Soil-Borne Entomopathogens in Western North Carolina Vegetable Systems

By R. Hummel, J. Walgenbach, M. Barbercheck, G. Kennedy, G. Hoyt, C. Arellano. 2002

98 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Populations of endemic soil entomopathogens (nematodes and fungi) were monitored in vegetable production systems incorporating varying degrees of sustainable practices in Fletcher, NC. Two tillage types (conventional plow and disk versus conservation tillage), two input approaches (chemically versus biologically based), and two cropping schedules (continuous tomato versus 3-yr rotation of corn, cucumber, cabbage, and tomato) were employed in large plots from 1995 to 1998. A Galleria mellonella (L.) trap bioassay was used to identify and monitor activity of Steinernema carpocapsae, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Beauveria bassiana, and Metarhizium anisopliae populations during the vegetable growing season (April–September). Seasonal detection of entomopathogens was significantly higher in conservation compared with conventional tillage systems. The strip-till operation did not affect levels of detection of S. carpocapsae. Pesticide use significantly reduced detection of entomopathogenic fungi. Type of ground cover significantly affected temperature in the upper 12 cm of soil; highest soil temperatures were observed under black plastic mulch and bare ground, whereas lowest temperatures were observed under rye mulch and clover intercrop. The high soil temperatures associated with certain ground covers may have reduced entomopathogen detection or survival. Although type of tillage appeared to be the primary factor affecting survival of endemic soil entomopathogens in our system, other factors, such as pesticide use and type of ground cover, can negate the positive effects of strip-tillage.

Subfields: Insect Science, Molecular Biology, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7b84586943a696dac706b73589f0728249d179c5

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Citations in the corpus

Field persistence of the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora in different crops (2008, background): “…surface tends to have greater fluctuations in temperature and moisture than under no-tillage or reduced tillage management and EPNs are often more frequently detected in reduced tillage regimes (Brust 1991; Hsiao and All 1998; Hummel et al. 2002; Millar and Barbercheck 2002; Shapiro et al. 1996).”
Population biology of entomopathogenic nematodes: Concepts, issues, and models (2006, background): “…regime, the soil surface tends to have greater ﬂuctuations in temperature and moisture than under no-till or reduced tillage, and EPNs are often more frequently detected in reduced tillage regimes (Hsiao and All, 1998; Hummel et al., 2002; Millar and Barbercheck, 2002; Shapiro et al., 1999b).”
Occurrence and distribution of soil borne entomopathogenic fungi within a single organic agroecosystem (2006, background): “For instance, high soil humidity and temperature reduced conidial survival and infectivity in laboratory tests (Lingg and Donaldson, 1981) while cultural practices, such as reduced tillage regimes, enhanced B. bassiana levels in the soil (Bing and Lewis, 1993; Hummel et al., 2002a).”
Ecology of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in temperate agroecosystems: Potential for conservation biological control (2007, background): “Likewise, conservation tillage regimes, using strip-till and no-till, were more favorable to B. bassiana and M. ansiopliae populations in the soil than conventional tillage regimes employing ploughing and disking (Hummel et al., 2002a).”
Below- and aboveground abundance and distribution of fungal entomopathogens in experimental conventional and organic cropping systems (2011, background): “Reduced soil disturbance has been shown to benefit belowground communities of entomopathogens (Bing and Lewis, 1993; Hummel et al., 2002).”
Insect pathogens as biological control agents: Back to the future. (2015, background): “1289 Crop plant species and tillage practices affect the prevalence and persistence of fungi 1290 (Hummel et al., 2002; Klingen et al., 2002b; Jaronski, 2007).”