Staff Publications

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is responsible for the Ethio-Dutch Program for Horticulture Development (EDPHD). One of the components of this program is the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which has been executed by Wageningen University and Research, Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture in collaboration with Ethiopian research organizations and EHPEA. This final report of the WUR team reports on the following project activities: 1) Technical advice on formulation of the best microbial bca’s obtained from the conducted research, 2) Survey, collection and commercialization of indigenous natural enemies for the management of major horticultural pests, 3) Support and advice on the study of the biology of identified potential indigenous natural enemies, 4) Support and advice on small-scale mass production for evaluation trials and methods to establish persistent populations in crops, 5) Technical advice on the efficacy trials under laboratory and field conditions on the identified predators and parasitoids, 6) Review of IPM course delivered at Jimma University, 7) Sharing information with growers and companies, 8) Train the trainer, and 9) All collection and other missions

Within this project, two new methods of the control of pathogens were investigated. New methods are: a. use of local bacteria that are isolated from soils or growing substrates; and b. bacteria that are present within the plant. By using local antagonists, already present in growing substrates or within plants in the greenhouse, the chance is higher that antagonist can be successfully used against local pathogens. Bacteria that were isolated from soil of growers were assessed on their antagonistic potential in lab trials against Pythium ultimum, Meloidogyne spp. and Rhizobium rhizogenes and Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum. Finally, the effect of antagonists against Pythium and Meloidogyne was evaluated in pot trials in the greenhouse. All antagonists diminished brown colourization symptoms in stems caused by Pythium. Alcaligenues sp., Bacillus sp. en two unidentified species diminished root damage and Alcaligenues sp. as well as Bacillus also reduced also the number of offspring of Meloidogyne spp. within the roots. The use of local microorganisms offers a sustainable-, new solution to control pathogens. In this study, it was shown that Proteinase inhibitor 2 (PINII), Glucanase (LeGluB) and Chitinase (LeChi3) can be used in tomato to investigate the influence of antagonists or endophytes on the plant defence.

Co-presenter M.A. Streminska, A. de Boer, Y.Cuesta Arenas, A. Kromwijk

In de biologische glastuinbouw zijn bodem gebonden ziektes een groot knelpunt. Wortelknobbelaaltjes (Meloidogyne incognita en M. javanica) zijn belangrijke pathogenen die in de vruchtgroententeelt voor problemen zorgen.

The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture has the ambition to boast the sustainable production of rice in order to meet the increasing demand. Resource use efficiency can be improved if production loss owing to plant
pathogens is resolved. Knowledge on the role of biodiversity on system stability must be translated Agricultural practices. Species with overlap in function may constitute biological control measures to create a resilient system against pathogens. As species may counteract, the approach needs to take into account the diverse effects caused by different pathogens, both above-ground and below-ground. Above-ground as well as belowground biological control may benefit from a multiple species approach. Pest-enemy interactions are often embedded in rich communities of multiple interacting pathogens and natural enemies. Designing IPM for multiple pests requires understanding of all interactions among species, both pests and natural enemies. The goal of the research is to investigate which currently available biological control agents are compatible or even act synergistically in order to build a resilient and sustainable crop protection system against Xanthomonas and Rhizoctonia in rice in Indonesia.