Series/Report Number: COARC2016
Abstract: Verticillium wilt caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae is the most important disease of commercial mint production. Rotation to non-hosts is difficult since inoculum of V. dahliae can survive in field soils for ten years or more and the pathogen has a wide host range. Green manure crops with biofumigant properties, specifically those which produce glucosinolate-derived compounds such as allyl isothiocyanate, can suppress the growth of a broad range of weeds, bacteria, nematodes, and fungi, including Verticillium dahliae. Fast-growing, short-term cover crops could be beneficial in central Oregon since a window of opportunity exists for a green manure cover crop during a 2 to 3-month period in late summer and early fall. The objective of this project was to evaluate potential late summer-planted green manure crops for biomass production potential, their effects on V. dahliae inoculum levels, and their impact on Verticillium wilt symptoms of mint in a microplot study under central Oregon growing conditions.
Chapter Number: 37