COMMERCIALIZATION OF A BIOCONTROL METHOD TO MANAGE TAKE-ALL DISEASE IN PNW WHEAT FIELDS

TAKE-ALL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ROOT DESEASE OF WHEAT WORLDWIDE. IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, IT CAN BE DEVASTATING AND FARMERS HAVE NO ECONOMICALLY VIABLE METHOD TO CONTROL THE DISEASE. FOR EXAMPLE, RESULTS OF A FORMAL SURVEY IN 1983 REVEALED YIELD REDUCTIONS OF 350,000 TONS OVER THE ENTIRE PNW REGION. RECENT INFORMAL SURVEYS INDICATE THAT THE DISEASE IS NOW EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. BEYOND ITS EFFECT ON PRODUCTIVITY, TAKE-ALL ALSO INCREASES PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH WATER AND AIR POLLUTION AND SOIL EROSION. IT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED THAT FLUORESCENT PSEUDOMONAS SPP., ISOLATED FROM SOILS THAT ARE NATURALLY SUPPRESSIVE OF TAKE-ALL, ARE ABLE TO SUPPRESS THE DISEASE WHEN APPLIED AS SEED TREATMENTS. YIELD INCREASES OF 10-25% COMMONLY HAVE BEEN OBTAINED IN FIELD TEST. WE PROPOSE TO SCALE-UP THIS BIOCONTROL TECHNOLOGY AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF INCORPORATING IT INTO EXISTING WHEAT PRODUCTION PRACTICES. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL CONDUCT ON-FARM TESTS AT SEVERAL GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE LOCATIONS USING THREE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS FOR DELIVERING THE BACTERIA.