ontario sugar beet growers - Atrium - University of Guelph

CROP: Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cv. El 7
PEST:
Rhizoctonia Crown Rot, Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn
NAME AND AGENCY:
PITBLADO, R E, and B.M. GREENBERG
Ridgetown College, University of Guelph, Ridgetown, Ontario, NOP 2C0
Tel: (5 19) 674- 1605 Fax: (5 19) 674-1 600 E-mail: rpitblad@ridgetownc.uoguelph.ca
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1
Tel: (519)8884567 Fax: (519)746-0614 E-mail: Greenber@,uwaterloo.ca
TITLE:
EVALUATION OF PHYTOREMEDIATION ORGANISMS FOR THE
CONTROL OF RHIZOCTONIA CROWN ROT IN SUGARBEETS-
ARTIFICIALLY INOCULATED - 2005
MATERIALS: UW 3, UW 4 (growth promoting bacterial organisms)
METHODS: Dr. Greenberg at the University of Waterloo has isolated a number of soil borne bacterial
organisms that have shown a range of growth promoting capabilities in plants used in soil remediation
projects. The trial was developed to determine what effects two of these phytoremediation (PR)
organisms, UW3 and UW4, have in sugarbeet production. Sugarbeet seeds were supplied either treatedcoated
or untreated-raw with a standard fungicide seed treatment. Seeds that were treated with the
phytoremediation organisms were treated at the University of Waterloo laboratory on March 1 in the
fashion used at this laboratory and delivered to Ridgetown campus for evaluation. Sugarbeets were
seeded, using a commercial beet seeder on May 19,2005, in two-row plots, 7m in length with rows
spaced 0.75m apart, replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. The in-furrow spray
applications were directed over the seed and then covered on May 19 using a specialized small plot
research CO, sprayer with a single nozzled hand-held boom applying 200Lha of spray mixture. The UW
3 & 4 organisms were mixed into peat moss and was sprinkled in the seed furrow prior to seeding on
May 19 in treatment 6. The plot was artificially inoculated with wheat grain kernels infected with
Rhizoctonia solani that had been grown in sterile bottles in the laboratory. The infected kernels were
sprinkled along the length of each row to encourage a level of disease infection for this trial.
Inadvertently treatment # 6 was not inoculated with the rhizoctonia organism however all other
treatments were inoculated in the fashion mentioned. Assessments were taken on June 2 for seedling
emergence and again on June 14 and July 28 for established plant counts. A disease rating for
Rhizoctonia crown rot was taken on July 15 on a scale of 0-10 with 0 indicating no control, all plants
dead and 10 where the plants survived and were growing healthy, highest level of disease control.
Results were analysed using the Duncan's multiple range test (PI 0.05).
RESULTS: Data are presented in Table 1.
CONCLUSIONS: Early emergence of sugerbeets were slowed when treated with the mixtures of UW
3&4 applied to the seed or alone with just UW3. The carrier used40 seed treat had the lowest emergence
counts of any of the treatments. In treatment #6 the rows were inadvertently not inoculated with the
Rhizoctonia crown rot organism and emergence, plant counts and disease ratings reflect the low natural
disease inoculum at this site. Unfortunately the results of the treated peat moss placed in-furrow was
reflective not of its beneficial effect but rather showed the healthy response where little to no Rhizoctonia
was present. All other treatments with the phytoremediation (PR) organisms, UW3 and UW4, were not