Soil solarisation combined with low rates of soil fumigants controls clubroot of cauliflowers, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Woron

Abstract

The effect of solarisation combined with low rates of soil fumigants on the severity of clubroot and yield of cauliflowers was determined at 2 locations in southern Victoria. The effectiveness of treatments was shown to be dependent on location; on the type, water content and temperature of soil; and on the population density of Plasmodiophora brassicae. Yields were reduced depending upon the disease severity, usually within 60 days after transplanting. Propagules of P. brassicae could survive for more than 28 days in ovens at 45¦C when in dry soil but died within 14 days at 40¦C in moist soil. At Werribee in 1985 on a red brown earth, solarisation combined with dazomet (100 kg dazomet/ha) gave significantly better control than either treatment alone. This treatment reduced P. brassicae in the 0-10 cm layer, reduced the disease rating from 2.7 to 0.9 (0-3), and increased yield from 2.4 to 47 t/ha compared with controls. In 1986, solarisation combined with 98% methyl bromide-2% chloropicrin (100 and 250 kg/ha) reduced the population density of P. brassicae in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers of soil, reduced the disease rating from 3 to 1.8, and increased yield from 0 to 22 t/ha. These treatments were more effective than solarisation and dazomet used alone or in combination. At Keysborough in 1985 on a grey sand, separate treatments of solarisation or dazomet (100 and 250 kg dazometha) were as effective as combined treatments and significantly reduced disease and increased yields compared to controls. Solarisation combined with either fumigant significantly reduced the distribution and total number of weeds at all sites and was generally more effective than separate treatments.