Optimising the use of biocontrol agents to improve the control of botrytis cinerea in key vegetable and fruit crops.

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dc.contributor.advisorMagan, Naresh
dc.contributor.advisorXu, Xiangming
dc.contributor.advisorMedina-Vayá, Ángel
dc.contributor.authorTut, Gurkan
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-06T13:18:40Z
dc.date.available2024-03-06T13:18:40Z
dc.date.issued2019-07
dc.description.abstractFor sustainable agriculture, efficient usage of biocontrol agents (BCAs) is crucial. As BCAs are living organisms effective biocontrol ability is governed by complex ecological processes. Because of this, biocontrol of plant diseases can become constrained. Research on the ecology, mechanisms of action and population ecology in the phyllopshere environment is critical for modelling the efficacy of BCAs for control of foliar plant pathogens, especially Botrytis cinerea. The aim of the research was to obtain ecological knowledge on Bacillus subtilis QST 713 and Gliocladium catenulatum J1446, and if feasible use this ecological information to apply these two BCAs against B. cinerea. Thus the objective initially was to (i) develop a molecular based assay to quantify viable population changes of the two BCAs, and use this novel assay for investigating: (ii) the dose response relationship of B. cinerea to the bacterial and fungal BCA, (iii) impact of relative humidity (RH) and temperature used in UK agronomic production systems on BCA populations, (iv) produce a simple model to predict BCA fate, (v) identify the colonisation and dispersion kinetics of the two BCAs on expanding foliage, and finally from the collected ecological knowledge (vi) suggest optimisations strategies for the two BCAs. This study successfully developed a PMAxxᵀᴹ-qPCR method for quantifying the kinetics of viable population changes for both the BCAs. The dose response relationship of B. cinerea to the BCAs’ was deciphered and G. catenulatum median effective dose was 1 × 10⁸ spores/ml, while for B. subtilis this was 3 × 10⁸ CFUs/ml⁻¹ . However, this changed with temperature, formulation, and leaf tissue type. Both temperature and humidity impacted on viable population dynamics of the two BCAs, and showed that viable populations were sustained, increased or reduced depending on abiotic factors (temperature, R.H.), with efficacy best at conditions close to the BCAs optimum growth conditions. From the collected data, models were produced and tested for their ability to predict the fate of each BCA in commercial growing sites. The dispersion and colonisation kinetics of the two BCAs were analysed on growing lettuce and strawberry leaves. The two BCAs behaved in different ways, while their ability to disperse and colonise virgin leaf tissue was effective, the rate depended on the season (temperature and RH) and host. This study has developed significant new ecological knowledge on these two BCAs and their behaviour when applied to strawberry and lettuce leaf surfaces, and their establishment to control B. cinerea in these agronomic crop systems.en_UK
dc.description.coursenamePhD in Environment and Agrifooden_UK
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/20934
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherCranfield Universityen_UK
dc.publisher.departmentSWEEen_UK
dc.rights© Cranfield University, 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder.en_UK
dc.subjectAbiotic factorsen_UK
dc.subjectBacillus subtilis QST 713en_UK
dc.subjectbiological controlen_UK
dc.subjectBotrytis cinereaen_UK
dc.subjectclimateen_UK
dc.subjectcolonizationen_UK
dc.subjectdew pointen_UK
dc.subjectdispersionen_UK
dc.subjectdose of applicationen_UK
dc.subjectdose response modelsen_UK
dc.subjectdoseen_UK
dc.subjectecologyen_UK
dc.subjectformulationen_UK
dc.subjectGliocladium catenulatum J1446en_UK
dc.subjectgrey mould diseaseen_UK
dc.subjectLD₅₀en_UK
dc.subjectlettuceen_UK
dc.subjectoptimizationen_UK
dc.subjectPMAen_UK
dc.subjectpopulation densityen_UK
dc.subjectpopulation dynamicsen_UK
dc.subjectpredictive modellingen_UK
dc.subjectpre-harvesten_UK
dc.subjectpreStopen_UK
dc.subjectqPCRen_UK
dc.subjectquantitative methoden_UK
dc.subjectrelative humidityen_UK
dc.subjectSereande ASOen_UK
dc.subjectstrawberryen_UK
dc.subjecttemperatureen_UK
dc.subjectviable cellsen_UK
dc.subjectVPDen_UK
dc.titleOptimising the use of biocontrol agents to improve the control of botrytis cinerea in key vegetable and fruit crops.en_UK
dc.typeThesis or dissertationen_UK
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen_UK
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_UK

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