Western Australia
Septmember 10, 2012
Visiting American plant pathologist Tim Paulitz will share his knowledge and research findings into rhizoctonia bare-patch in wheat, at the upcoming Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium.
Rhizoctonia bare-patch is a serious disease in dryland wheat production areas in both the USA and Australia. Dr Paulitz has been involved in a long-term direct seeding cropping system study which has mapped bare patches since 1997.
Dr Paulitz will be in Perth as part of the Department of Agriculture and Food’s visiting specialist program. Following the symposium, he will conduct research for two months with department research officer Daniel Huberli into rhizoctonia in WA crops.
Dr Paulitz said rhizoctonia bare-patch and root rot caused serious root rot disease, especially when growers converted from conventional tillage to direct seeding.
“The disease is a serious problem in wheat growing areas of southern and western Australia, costing growers more than $59 million in losses each year,” Dr Paulitz said.
“The direct seeding cropping study which started in 1997 at a farm near Ritzville in Washington state, USA, showed that within six years rhizoctonia bare-patch covered an average of 11 per cent of the total land area and crop rotations had no effect on the disease.
“In 2005, the area affected by rhizoctonia started to decline and by 2008 less than one per cent of the total area was affected.”
As part of the study, the team analysed root and bulk soil bacterial communities from within active bare patches, within healthy non-affected areas and within areas that had recovered from bare patch.
“Levels of Sphingobacteria, Flavobacteria, Oxalobacteraceae and Enterobacteriaceae were high in areas with the disease compared to healthy areas, and Acidobacteria was high in recovered patches,” Dr Paulitz said.
“The results suggest that copiotrophic bacterial communities may be involved in the natural suppression of rhizoctonia disease on wheat.”
More details of the research findings will be presented at the Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium to be held at The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle from Tuesday 18 September (www.ASDS7.org)
Symposium attendees can also hear more about rhizoctonia bare-patch in WA from Dr Huberli.
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