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• 8

  Apr
  The effects of soil disinfection and the insertion of crop residue into the soil on pepper yields – A long-term analysis

  Plant Protection, Vegetables

  by Shimon Pivonia, Ph.D.

  הגה"צ; ירקות

  תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012

  תיאור מלא The effects of soil disinfection and the insertion of crop residue into the soil on pepper yields - A long-term analysis
  Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel – Central and Northern Arava R&D
  E-mail address for correspondence: shimonp@arava.co.il

  Abstract
  Pepper is the main crop in the central Arava and 17,500 dunams (1,750 Ha) in this region were planted to pepper during the 2010/11 growing season. Previously, it was customary to disinfect the soil with methyl bromide before the start of the season. With the end of the use of methyl bromide about five years ago, growers began using metham sodium preparations to disinfect their soil. Since then, in most areas, no particular problems involving soilborne diseases have been observed, aside from a certain increase in the number of plants collapsing as a result of Pythium infection in the winter and the appearance of the new phenomenon of damage to plants caused by the free nematode Pratylenchus penetrans.
  We are conducting a long-term evaluation of the effects of soil-disinfection treatments on pepper development and yield. This study is being conducted on the same ground each year (fixed plots). The study has been conducted for four growing seasons (2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10 and 2010/11) and we plan to continue this work for two more seasons. During the last two years, we also evaluated the effects of inserting crop residue into the soil (in the same fixed plots). Today, there is a need for alternative solutions for removing and destroying crop residue at the end of the season. The alternative of burying the residue in the field is favored for the significant labor savings it provides as well as for other reasons, as long as it does not negatively affect the next season’s crop.
  This study was set up at the Zohar Experimental Station in Sodom Valley in a greenhouse in which pepper had been grown in the past. We do not know of any particular problems with soilborne pests in this spot before the start of our experiment. The first three years of the study, the pepper cv. Celica was used and, in the year upon which we are currently reporting (2010/11), line 7158 was used. At the end of the first two seasons of the study, we did not see any notable difference between the pepper yield of the control treatment and the yields of the soil disinfection treatments, which included solarization, solarization + Edigan (metham sodium), and Edigan applied through the drip-irrigation system in the absence of any solarization. Despite the fact that no notable yield loss was observed in the untreated control plot, the plants in the untreated control plot did not look as nice. At the end of the third year, the yield of the untreated control was noticeably less than the yields of the other three treatments. In the fourth year, the area that had been used for the untreated control treatment during the previous three years was subjected to a solarization treatment. At the end of the season, we did not notice any yield loss for this treatment. At the end of the second year of the evaluation of the effect of burying crop residue, we did not note any difference between the treatments in which residue from the previous crop was inserted into the soil, green or after having been burnt down with Edigan, and the treatments in which the crop residue was removed from the field.

  Acknowledgement
  We thank the Plant Board for their financial support of this research.

  שפה English
  מלות מפתח Capsicum, soilborne diseases
  מחבר Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel
  שנה 2011
  שייכות yzvieli
  תאריך יצירה 14/3/2012
  תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012

  OPEN
• 25

  Mar
  Control of broad mites and powdery mildew in organically grown pepper in the Arava

  Vegetables, Plant Protection

  by Danit Parker

  8
  תחום או ענף אורגני; ירקות

  תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012

  Control of broad mites and powdery mildew in organically grown pepper in the Arava
  Danit Parker, Ela Yosel, Rachel Levite and Shimon Pivonia – Central and Northern Arava Research and Development
  E-mail address for correspondence: shimonp@arava.co.il

  Abstract
  Broad mite (Polyphagotasnemus latus) is a serious pest of many agricultural crops, including pepper. Powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) is a multi-host pathogen of agricultural crops, particularly pepper. To date, aside from treatment with sulfur, which is permitted in organic crops and requires large-scale treatment, there are hardly any effective options for controlling broad mite and powdery mildew in pepper. Due to concern over the accelerated deterioration of screens following the use of sulfur as well as residue on the fruit, organic growers are searching for additional chemical preparations to effectively control broad mite and powdery mildew.
  In an experiment conducted during the 2010/11 season at the Yair Experimental Station, we examined the efficacy of E.O.S., a preparation that contains 99% mineral oil, for the control of broad mites and powdery mildew in organic pepper. We found that spraying E.O.S. once every two weeks did not effectively prevent damage caused by broad mites and powdery mildew. In contrast, the spraying of a liquid colloid of sulfur did effectively control this damage. It is possible that more frequent application of E.O.S. might lead to better results.

  Acknowledgements
  We would like to thank Yuval Barzilai, Dorit Hashmonai and Avi Osherovitz from the Yair Experimental Station for their help setting up and carrying out the experiment.

  שפה English
  KEYWORDS Polyphagotasnemus latus, Leveillula taurica, Capsicum
  AUTHORS Danit Parker, Ela Yosel, Rachel Levite and Shimon Pivonia
  שנה 2011
  שייכות yzvieli
  תאריך יצירה 14/3/2012
  תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012
• 12

  Dec
  Using fungicides for the control of the sudden wilting of melon and watermelon caused by Monosporascus cannonballus

  Plant Protection, Vegetables

  by Shimon Pivonia, Ph.D.

  תחום או ענף הגה"צ; ירקות

  תאריך עדכון 1/10/2011

  תיאור מלא Using fungicides for the control of the sudden wilting of melon and watermelon caused by Monosporascus cannonballus

  Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel – Northern and Central Arava Research and Development
  Roni Cohen, Zeev Gerstel – Ne'va Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Israel

  Email for correspondence: ShimonP@arava.co.il

  Melon is the main crop in the Arava. The main soilborne disease of melon in the Arava and other regions of southern Israel is the sudden wilting caused by the fungus Monosporascus cannonballus. Today, there is still no alternative to methyl bromide for the control of this disease in melon during the spring growing season. The goals of the research conducted by Arava R&D during the 2006/7 and 2008/9 seasons were as follows: A) to study the efficacies of different fungicides for the control of Monosporascus in the Arava; and B) to study the timing and frequency of fungicide applications, as well as application rates. We evaluated the abilities of fungicides from different chemical families to delay the vegetative growth of Monosporascus in Petri dishes. In a field study conducted at the Zohar Research Station (Sodom Valley) during the fall and spring seasons, we evaluated the efficacy of these fungicides, as well as their effects on the yields of melon and dwarf watermelon. We attempted to identify the necessary application timings, application rates and frequency of application. The examination of fungicides in Petri dishes was found to be an effective approach for the primary screening of materials for use against Monosporascus. We identified a number of substances that effectively prevented the development of this disease in roots and the death of melon and dwarf watermelon plants in the field.
  The experiments described in the report facilitated the granting of licenses for the use of Amistar (azoxystrobin) and Sportak (prochloraz) to control Monosporascus in melon. The products Signum (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) and Commodore (azoxystrobin + chlorothalonil) are in a registration process. Based on the knowledge accumulated to date, recommendations have been publicized for the application of fungicides in melon and dwarf watermelon in different seasons. These recommendations have been adopted by the majority of growers in the Arava and other parts of the country and have contributed to the noticeable decrease in the death of plants in the field and increased yields. Intelligent use of fungicides, involving alternation between different substances within and between growing seasons, allows us to prevent or decrease the effects of a variety of soil-associated and canopy diseases in melon and helps preserve the long-term efficacy of these substances.

  Acknowledgements
  We would like to thank the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture for funding this research.

  שפה English
  מלות מפתח Cucumis melo, Citrullus lanatus
  מחבר Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel, Roni Cohen, Zeev Gerstel
  שנה 2010
  שייכות yzvieli
  תאריך יצירה 1/10/2011
  תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012
• 12

  Dec
  The impact of soil disinfection and the incorporation of crop residue into the soil on pepper yields – A long-term analysis

  Plant Protection, Vegetables

  by Shimon Pivonia, Ph.D.

  תחום או ענף אגרוטכנולוגיה; הגה"צ; ירקות

  תאריך עדכון 1/10/2011

  תיאור מלא The impact of soil disinfection and the incorporation of crop residue into the soil on pepper yields – A long-term analysis

  Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel - Northern and Central Arava R&D

  Email for correspondence: ShimonP@arava.co.il

  Pepper is the main crop in the central Arava and, during the 2009/10 season, this crop covered approx. 17,000 dunams in this region. In the past, growers used methyl bromide to disinfect the soil before each growing season. With the end of methyl bromide use about five years ago, growers began to use metham sodium to disinfect their soil. Since then, in most areas, no particular problems of soilborne diseases have been observed, aside from a certain increase in the level of winter collapse caused by Pythium and the appearance of the previously unknown phenomenon of plant damage caused by the free nematode Pratylenchus penetrans.
  We are conducting a long-term examination, in fixed plots, of the effects of soil-disinfection treatments on the development and yield of pepper. This study has been conducted for three years and we plan to continue it for an additional three years. Last seasom (2009/10) in the experimental area, we added a test of the effect of incorporating residue from the previous crop into the soil. Today, there is a need to find alternatives to the removal and burning of crop residues at the end of the season. The alternative of incorporating the crop residue into the soil in the field is preferable from the perspective of labor costs and for other reasons, as long as it does not negatively affect the next crop.
  This experiment was conducted at the Zohar Research Station in Sodom Valley in a greenhouse in which pepper had been grown in the past. We do not know of any soil-related problems in this plot before the start of the study. In the three years that this study has been in progress, the cultivar Celica has been used. At the end of the second season of the experiment, we did not observe any significant differences between the pepper yield of the control and the yields of the treatments that included solarization, solarization in combination with Edigan (metham sodium) and the application of Edigan through the drip-irrigation system in the absence of any solarization. Even though we did not observe significantly lower yield in the untreated control plot, the plants in that plot generally looked less good. At the end of the third year, we observed a significantly lower yield in the control treatment as compared to the three other treatments. At the end of the first year of our test of the effect of incorporating crop residue into the soil, we did not observe a difference between the treatments in which residue from the previous season was incorporated into the soil, while it was still green or after it had been killed with Adigan, and treatments in which the crop residue from the previous season was removed from the area.

  Acknowledgements
  We thank the Plant Board for helping to fund this research.

  שפה English
  מלות מפתח Capsicum, metham sodium, soil fumigant, pesticide, soil disinfestation, solarization, methyl bromide substitute, Pythium
  מחבר Shimon Pivonia, Rachel Levite, Ami Maduel
  שנה 2010
  שייכות yzvieli
  תאריך יצירה 1/10/2011
  תאריך עדכון 14/3/2012