Soil management effects on entomopathogenic fungi during the transition to organic agriculture in a feed grain rotation
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Published source details
Jabbour R. & Barbercheck M.E. (2009) Soil management effects on entomopathogenic fungi during the transition to organic agriculture in a feed grain rotation. Biological Control, 51, 435-443.
Published source details Jabbour R. & Barbercheck M.E. (2009) Soil management effects on entomopathogenic fungi during the transition to organic agriculture in a feed grain rotation. Biological Control, 51, 435-443.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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A replicated study in Pennsylvania, USA (Jabbour and Barbercheck 2009) found no consistent trend in the occurrence of Metarhizium anisopliae, an insect-parasitoid fungus, during a three-year transition to organic farming. An experiment in 2003-2006 found more fungi in year one (2.3 samples with fungus, out of 3 samples/plot) than in year three (1.3-2 samples), but a second experiment in 2004-2007 found the opposite trend (1.8-2.1 samples in year one vs. 2.3-2.4 samples in year three). Different crops were grown in each of the three years. The authors suggest variation between years and within seasons may explain the contradictory patterns in fungus numbers. Organic management practices were applied at one farm for a sequence of cover crops, soybean Glycine max and maize Zea mays (first, second and third years, respectively). Fungi presence was assessed using three soil samples at each of 24 randomly selected locations. Sampling took place on four dates between May and October each year.
