Abstract
While links between soil and plant health are implied, there are few opportunities to empirically evaluate this due to inherent differences among sites. An exception is a long-term experiment established in 2007 (repeated in 2008) in Ridgetown, ON, where improved soil health scores and changes in soil microbial communities were observed in the medium-term with annual cover crops (CC). This led us to hypothesize that CC-induced changes in soil health might affect bacterial spot (Xanthomonas hordorum pv. gardneri) and anthracnose (Colletotrichum coccodes) development in processing tomato. Five CC treatments (no CC control, winter cereal rye, oat, radish, and mix of radish + rye) planted after winter wheat harvest were evaluated in 2019 and 2020 (CC grown nine times over 12 years). Fruit yields and net revenue were similar or greater with CC than without. In 2019, there was greater defoliation (area under the disease progress stairs = 4,370 ± 204), percent red fruit (71.0% ± 5.38), and rots (1.91% ± 0.5) in no CC than with radish (3,410, 39.1%, and 0.62%, respectively, P ≤ 0.0366), indicating earlier fruit maturity in no CC plots. Similarly, no CC had a greater incidence of red fruits with anthracnose (25.8% ± 2.89) compared with all CCs but rye (7.4 to 12.1% ± 2.89; P = 0.0029). Environmental conditions in 2020 were less favourable for disease development. Defoliation was not affected by CC treatment (P = 0.1254), and anthracnose incidence was low (≥90.3 ± 1.22% healthy fruit), which may have limited the ability to detect treatment effects (P = 0.2922). Long-term cover crops have the potential to produce greater or equivalent tomato yield with decreased defoliation and anthracnose fruit rot.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops produced similar or greater fruit yields than no cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit yields and net revenue were similar or greater with CC than without”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops produced similar or greater net revenue than no cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit yields and net revenue were similar or greater with CC than without”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Radish cover crop reduced defoliation in 2019 relative to no cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“In 2019, there was greater defoliation (area under the disease progress stairs = 4,370 ± 204), percent red fruit (71.0% ± 5.38), and rots (1.91% ± 0.5) in no CC than with radish (3,410, 39.1%, and 0.62%, respectively, P ≤ 0.0366)”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Radish cover crop reduced percent red fruit in 2019 relative to no cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“In 2019, there was greater defoliation (area under the disease progress stairs = 4,370 ± 204), percent red fruit (71.0% ± 5.38), and rots (1.91% ± 0.5) in no CC than with radish (3,410, 39.1%, and 0.62%, respectively, P ≤ 0.0366)”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Radish cover crop reduced fruit rots in 2019 relative to no cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“In 2019, there was greater defoliation (area under the disease progress stairs = 4,370 ± 204), percent red fruit (71.0% ± 5.38), and rots (1.91% ± 0.5) in no CC than with radish (3,410, 39.1%, and 0.62%, respectively, P ≤ 0.0366)”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops other than rye reduced incidence of red fruit with anthracnose relative to no cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“no CC had a greater incidence of red fruits with anthracnose (25.8% ± 2.89) compared with all CCs but rye (7.4 to 12.1% ± 2.89; P = 0.0029)”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Defoliation was not significantly affected by cover crop treatment in 2020.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Defoliation was not affected by CC treatment (P = 0.1254)”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Anthracnose incidence was low in 2020, with at least 90.3% healthy fruit.
Verbatim
e0“anthracnose incidence was low (≥90.3 ± 1.22% healthy fruit)”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Anthracnose incidence showed no detected cover crop treatment effect in 2020.
- Taxon
- Processing Tomatoest0
- Treatment
- treatmente0
- Interactor
- anthracnosee1pathogen
- Outcome
- anthracnose incidencee1
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“which may have limited the ability to detect treatment effects (P = 0.2922)”
e1“anthracnose incidence was low”
t0“Processing Tomatoes”
The same questions in other papers
Raphanus sativus · pest · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results agree
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- positive
- positive
cover crop · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results differ
18 papers in the same direction as this paper · 12 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- positive
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28 papers more in this group
See all 32 papers →cover crop · pest · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- no effect
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.