Efficacy of burning, tillage, and biocides in controlling bacteria released at field sites and effects on indigenous bacteria and fungi.

TitleEfficacy of burning, tillage, and biocides in controlling bacteria released at field sites and effects on indigenous bacteria and fungi.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1992
AuthorsDonegan, K, Fieland, V, Fowles, N, Ganio, L, Seidler, R
JournalAppl Environ Microbiol
Volume58
Issue4
Pagination1207-14
Date Published1992 Apr
ISSN0099-2240
KeywordsAgriculture, Bacteria, Containment of Biohazards, Copper, Environmental Microbiology, Erwinia, Fires, Fungi, Hydroxides, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Streptomycin
Abstract

Decontamination treatments of burning and biocide application, alone and in combination with tillage, were evaluated for their ability to reduce populations of bacteria applied to the leaves of plants in field plots. In addition, the effects of these control methods on indigenous leaf and soil bacteria and fungi were assessed. Field plots of bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), sprayed with the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, or Erwinia herbicola, received the following treatments: (i) control, (ii) tillage, (iii) burning, (iv) burning plus tillage (burn-tillage), (v) Kocide (cupric hydroxide), (vi) Kocide plus tillage, (vii) Agri-Strep (streptomycin sulfate), and (viii) Agri-Strep plus tillage. Leaves and soil from the plots were sampled at 1 day before and at 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 30 days after application of the decontamination treatments. The burn and burn-tillage treatments produced the most significant reductions in bacterial populations. The Agri-Strep treatment was more effective than the Kocide treatment in eliminating applied bacteria, but neither biocide produced consistent or persistent control. In contrast, the tillage treatment, alone or in combination with the Agri-Strep or Kocide treatments, had a short-term stimulatory effect and increased populations of applied bacteria and also levels of indigenous fungi and bacteria. Agri-Strep and Kocide treatments caused significant reductions in indigenous bacterial populations up to 14 days after application and in indigenous fungal populations on day 7 after application. Our results suggest that conventional plant disease control methods may not provide satisfactory control of genetically engineered microorganisms and indicate a need for further development of effective and selective methods to control release microorganisms at field sites.

Alternate JournalAppl. Environ. Microbiol.
PubMed ID1599240
PubMed Central IDPMC195576