Importance of fungal diseases in organic cultivation of winter peas

• Getreidezüchtung Darzau
  (Dr. Karl-Josef Müller, Ulrich Quent)
• Kompetenzzentrum Niedersachsen
  (Ullrich Ebert)
• Fachgebiet ökologischer Pflanzenschutz

Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft, Verbraucherschutz und Landesentwicklung

04 / 2012 till 12 / 2012

Arable organic farms are urgently dependent upon the nitrogen provision of legumes. Winter peas fulfil these requirements to a high extent according to recent results of various field trials. One the most limiting factors for the cultivation of grain legumes are soilborne diseases. This is, in spefic, very true for peas with a high correlation between a high share of legume cultivation and the incidence of those diseases. Therefore it is hypothesized that the expansion of pulses within a rotation system is limited by phytosanitary reasons. It could shown in current trials under controlled conditions that the winter pea cultivar EFB33 is less susceptible against Phoma medicaginis compared to the spring pea cultivar Santana, widely grown by organic farmers. It is unknown if this is true (a) under field conditions, (b) for other pathogens of the Ascochyto-complex, Fusarium solanm and F. oxysporum. In addition it is unclear if (c) organic grain legume cultivation is directed by the specific use of tolerant cultivars against those disease complexes or new lines of different genotypes and (d) yield and profitability of the grain legume cultivation is positively influenced by these considerations.

First aim of the study is a screening re susceptability of 8 selected lines of winter peas developed by Getreidezüchtung Darzau; they were found as suitable for winter hardiness and yield capacity within field trials of the BÖLN-project (Nr. 2809OE078) at two sites. Complementary to those these 8 lines will be checked under controlled conditions by including the references EFB33 as winter pea and Santana as spring pea and using as test organisms relevant soilborne diseases Phoma medicaginis, Pythium ultimum, Fusarium spp..

Aim two of the project is the test of the best five lines against soil types of different shares of legume cultivation within a rotation. The set of references and test organisms and the controlled growing conditins will be similar to the first approach. It is intended to achieve first data for pulse breeding and cultivation with regard to phytopathological properties.

• Christian Bruns
• Dagmar Werren
• Jürgen Heß