ÌÇÐÄTV

FV 391a - Carrots: Development of artificial inoculation techniques for cavity spot caused by Pythium violae.

Cavity spot caused principally by P. violae is the major disease of carrots in the UK. Management of the disease relies on the fungicide metalaxyl-M although its efficacy is variable. The reliance on this single fungicide is of major concern to the industry as its future efficacy and sustainability is uncertain. To address this, previous AHDB Horticulture projects have evaluated potential new control measures including fungicides, biological control treatments, calcium applications and biofumigation. However, progress has been severely hampered by a lack of sufficient disease levels in many of these trials and hence new treatments have not been clearly identified. This project will test different growth media and conditions for P. violae inoculum production and define appropriate rates required for symptom development in pot and field grown carrots. The feasibility of large scale production of inoculum using solid state fermentation will also be evaluated.

The placements, funded by BBSRC, will last for 10 weeks during the summer vacation of 2016 and are for second year undergraduate students.

Each student will be placed with a research group in the School of Life Sciences and work as part of the group, undertaking a small research project related to the group's activities. You will learn about the research undertaken, and techniques used.

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The February edition of AHDB Grower contains an article entitled 'Biology to rely' on which covers presentations by Dave, Liam and others at the AAB IPM Conference in November 2015. Dave and Bill Clark from NIAB delivered the GCRI Trust's Bewley Lecture.

Kat Hayles, a PhD student at ÌÇÐÄTV Crop Centre, will be giving a presentation entitled 'Understanding the ecology and epidemiology of Pythium violae to enable disease management in carrots' at the on 22 March.