R429 Common Scab – Irrigation and Suppressive Soils

The methods to study bacterial communities which had been developed in previous projects were progressed further. They were used with the aim of identifying specific populations of soil-inhabiting bacteria that respond to irrigation and may be mediating the suppressive effect of irrigation on common scab symptoms. In some situations, there were differences in the composition of the bacterial communities between tubers from irrigated versus unirrigated plots. However, the only bacterial grouping that increased in abundance in irrigated soils in more than one trial was Flavobacteriales.

Key Words

Common scab, irrigation, Streptomyces