Co-Authors:
Sneh, B., Department of Botany, Institute for Nature Conservation Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Kibbutz, Ein-Dor, Israel
Pozniak, D., Department of Botany, Institute for Nature Conservation Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Kibbutz, Ein-Dor, Israel
Salomon, D., Department of Botany, Institute for Nature Conservation Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Kibbutz, Ein-Dor, Israel
Abstract:
A field soil, artificially infested with pathogenic isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis was continuously used for screening resistant varieties of melon to Fusarium wilt. After 9–10 years of continuous cropping with resistant varieties, the soil had developed induced suppressiveness. Seven to 9 experimental replantings of the induced suppressive soil with the susceptible cultivar of melon, ‘Ein‐Dor', nullified its suppressiveness. This was expressed by 90 % disease incidence. Only 2 replantings were required to obtain the same disease incidence in an adjacent field of a conducive soil. Nonpathogenic isolates of F. oxysporum, isolated from the rhizospheres of melon seedlings, induced various degrees of soil suppressiveness when added to soil at various ratios to the pathogenic isolate. Copyright © 1987, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved