Integrated protection in a greenhouse rose crop: origins of contamination - an approach and preliminary results

• Published in: Acta horticulturae no. 659; pp. 309 - 314
• Main Authors: Chave, M, Thomas, C, Julien, P, Poncet, C, Boulard, T, Fatnassi, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Society for Horticultural Science 01.01.2004
• Subjects: air; Botrytis cinerea; climate; greenhouses; inoculum; pesticides; pests; samplers; spores
• ISSN: 0567-7572
• DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.659.40

Physical and biological methods, which directly or indirectly affect the entry into and the development of diseases and pests in a greenhouse, can be used to reduce the use of pesticides. A maximum prevention greenhouse with insect-proof nets has been built in Sophia-Antipolis, south of France. We have developed several different protocols for identifying sources of contamination. We assessed the contribution of spores entering through openings, to total greenhouse levels of Botrytis cinerea inoculum by comparing spore concentration in an empty greenhouse to that in the same greenhouse containing a rose crop. Colonies of Botrytis cinerea were obtained from volumetric (Burkard) and non-volumetric spore samplers, placed outside and inside the greenhouses. Spores were produced on selective Botrytis cinerea medium. We collected quantitative and qualitative data for the spores, and performed a spore balance for the whole greenhouse volume based on the estimate of the concentration of spores in the air and the total deposition of spores in the greenhouse. We also used PCR-RFLP to characterise spore cultures as a means of investigating the diversity of Botrytis cinerea within and outside the greenhouse. Our preliminary results indicate that inside Botrytis cinerea spores originated from outside and that both climate management and biological methods could be used to reduce Botrytis cinerea development.