Integrated Management of Vegetable Diseases II:

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Integrated Management of Vegetable Diseases
II Soil Health Workshop
Frank J. Louws Professor and Extension Plant
Pathologist Department of Plant Pathology North
Carolina State University Raleigh
NC frank_louws_at_ncsu.edu
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Components of Our Program Science (Basic and
Applied) Training Extension
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What Drives Microbial Communities Farming
System Impacts
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Unearthing Links Between Soil, Plants and Microbes
Farming Systems Research
Resource Availability
Competition Antibiosis
Root Pathogens
Beneficial Microbes
Hyper-parasitism
Nutrient cycling SAR ISR PGPR
Disease incidence severity
Plants
Microbially mediated mechanisms are critical What
drives the structure of microbial communities?
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Long Term Question Can you design Farming
Systems that have suppressive soils and promote
plant health?
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What are Suppressive Soils?

• Soils that reduce or completely suppress the
  development of soilborne plant diseases because
• Possible (Broad) Mechanisms
• The pathogen cannot become established
• The pathogen becomes established but
• then declines
• The pathogen is present but disease does not
  result.

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Practitioner Approach Can we implement a
compost-based production system and improve soil
health as an alternative to methyl bromide? JUST
DO IT!

• John Vollmer
• on farm research
• organic transition
• Michelle Grabowski
• MS student

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Train-The-Trainer
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Farming Systems Training

• Workshop topics (4 cr)
• fertility management
• Composting
• insect, weed, and disease management
• Marketing information delivery
  farmer-to-farmer networking
• greenhouse management
• cover cropping soil quality
• crop rotation, tillage systems
• integrated livestock systems

Creamer, Baldwin, Louws. HortTechnology
10675-681
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On-Farm Research
How can local research needs be met?
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3 credit course with money!

• Taught agents how to teach growers to
• Organize themselves
• Develop a list of researchable questions
• Design an experiment
• Analyze the experiment
• Report the results
• Plan for the next experiment(s)

Goal To conduct On-Farm research that addresses
local needs and concerns.
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The Training

• Demonstrations
• Farm Tours
• Homework Assignments
• Evening Discussion Sessions

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Outcomes

• Diversity of thought and opinion made for a very
  rich course.
• Focus on biology proved useful to all agents.
• Many barriers were broken down.
• Agents have already conducted training series in
  their own counties and continue to follow through
  with interest and activity.

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EXTENSION ON-FARM-TRIALSConferences Websites
Publications
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ADVANCING THE FRONTIER OF SUSTAINABLE AG
A B X
Input based Tactic substitution
Process based Tactic diversification