Optimizing anaerobic soil disinfestation to manage emerging soilborne diseases in tomato protected culture systems in the North Central Region

View the project final report

Commodities

• Vegetables: tomatoes

Practices

• Crop Production: cover crops, high tunnels or hoop houses
• Education and Training: extension, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
• Pest Management: biofumigation, biological control, cultural control, disease vectors
• Production Systems: Protected culture
• Soil Management: organic matter, soil microbiology

This project, entitled “Optimizing anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) to manage emerging soilborne diseases in tomato protected culture systems in the North Central Region”, addresses an emerging issue in intensive vegetable farming systems. Higher demand for local produce as well as increasing weather extremes have led to expanded adoption of greenhouse and high tunnel vegetable production systems in the North Central United States. ASD is a promising approach to suppress soilborne disease and promote soil health and crop productivity. Research was conducted to optimize ASD for tomato production in high tunnels, focusing on carbon sources used during ASD, including agricultural plant byproducts and cover crops.  Higher rates of plant byproducts tended to result in better outcomes (disease suppression and/or plant biomass), and soybean meal, wheat midds, and distiller's dried grains proved to be most effective as ASD carbon sources.  These were selected for on-farm trials, conducted using the "Mother Baby Trials" approach.  Replicated Mother trials were established on six farms to evaluate these carbon sources, while Baby trials with wheat midds were established on nine farms in late summer/autumn 2018.  Post ASD bioassays and soil sampling for microbial community analysis were conducted. Cooler than normal temperatures led to lowered efficacy of the ASD treatment. Farmer and Extension educator participation monitoring using Outcome Mapping was used to assess levels of participation among individual boundary partners.

Our project will lead to both learning and action outcomes to benefit vegetable farmers in the North Central Region. We will increase farmers’ awareness and understanding of soilborne diseases and potential methods for managing these diseases through workshops and factsheets. Farmers will learn the skills to apply ASD through workshops and participatory on-farm trials. Ultimately, achievement of these learning outcomes will lead to action outcomes, including farmer adoption of ASD and integrated soilborne disease management strategies. The findings of our project will benefit farmers, extension agents, and plant health professionals.