Using cover crops for control of Fusarium fruit rot in commercial pumpkin production' Christian A' W

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Using cover crops for control of Fusarium fruit
rot in commercial pumpkin production.Christian
A. Wyenandt, R. M. Riedel, L. H. Rhodes, S. G. P.
Nameth, and M. A. Bennett, Dept of Plant
Pathology and Horticulture and Crop ScienceThe
Ohio State University
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Fusarium fruit rot of pumpkin

• Important soil-borne fungal pathogen
• Especially destructive in fields with no or
  short rotationsU Pick operations!
• Fungicides, fumigation not useful
• Recommended crop rotations of 4 years for
  control
• Control with use of cover crop mulches

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Fusarium fruit rot of pumpkin

• Most infections of fruit occur in region that is
  in direct contact with soil.
• Fungus may penetrate directly under moist
  conditions or through wounds.
• Large numbers of conidia produced on field-culled
  or unharvested fruit!!
• Many ssp. reported to be seed-borne
• Weedy fields may enhance FFR!

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Why use cover crops?

• Add OM back to soil
• Reduce erosion
• Control weeds
• Conserve soil moisture
• Control soil-borne disease
• Increase fruit cleanliness/quality at harvest
• Cover crop mulch acts as physical barrier
  preventing fruit from coming into contact with
  the soil surface
• Not without their disadvantages

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Quantity vs. Quality of cover crop

• Which is better or of more value?
• Quantity species, seeding rate, time of
  kill
• Quality species, stand uniformity, method
  of planting and method of kill (rolling vs
  mowing)
• Both really go hand in hand and relate to a
  cover crops holding capacity, or its potential
  to produce (quantity) and maintain ground cover
  (quality) during the duration of the growing
  season!!

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Determining the quality of a cover crop by mulch
measuring ground Cover

• Ground cover may be defined as the percentage
  of soil surface covered by mulch.
• The easiest way to determine (GC) in your field
  is to visually rate given area(s), such as a
  square ft. or meter.
• Rating different areas in your field will help
  determine the quality of the cover crop.
• Determine overall GC by determining the average
  for rated areas.
• The more areas visually rated the better.

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Determining the quantity of a cover crop by
measuring biomass (dry wt)

• The quantity of cover crop mulch ( T/A) produced
  may be determine by weighing given area(s) such
  as square ft. or square meter in your field.
• By weighing biomass (dry wt) you will be able to
  determine the quantity of cover crop in your
  field.

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Rye
Rye HV
Sp Oat
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AM
BS
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Effects of cover crop mulch on development of
Fusarium fruit rot in pumpkin production.
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Rye, RyeHV
Spring Oat
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BS
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BS
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Spring Oat
Rye, Rye HV
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BS
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Spring Oat
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Average T/A, average fruit wt (lb), ground
cover, clean fruit, FFR, and yield loss to
FFR in Wooster, OH 2002.
GC percentage of soil surface covered with
cover crop mulch at harvest Clean of clean
fruit / total of fruit per plot FFR total
fruit with FFR / total fruit per plot YL
(yield loss) wt of fruit with FFR / total wt of
fruit per plot
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Planting Strip
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Acknowledgments

• Ohio Small Fruit and Vegetable Research and
  Development Program
• NCRSARE
• OSU Graduate Student Competitive Research Grant
  Program
• Paul C. Enda H. Warner Endowment Fund
• OARDC Matching Grants Program
• OSU IPM Mini-Grants Program

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For more information on this research or on the
use of cover crops in pumpkin production please
contact Andy Wyenandt, Dept. of Plant Pathology,
the Ohio State University _at_ wyenandt.1_at_osu.edu or
at by phone at [phone].