S14 - Session P4 - Characterizing spray deposition for control of trunk pests from an experimental airblast sprayer with 5-port nozzle bodies

Authors: Lauren Fessler, Wesley Wright, Grace Piestch, Liesel Schneider, Heping Zhu, Cody Fust, Amy Fulcher *

Pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) is an economically and nutritionally important vegetable within the family Solanaceae. Biotic stresses impact the quality and productivity of the crop. Wilting caused by soil-borne Fusarium species are among the most challenging diseases of peppers to control. Integrated disease management (IDM) is a sustainable approach to control diseases. Biocontrol is an important component of IDM approaches to manage soil-borne pathogens. Plant microbiome analysis has allowed opportunities for identifying associated microbes with plant beneficial functions, including biocontrol. Samples of bulk soil, rhizosphere, roots, and stem of diseased pepper plants showing wilting symptoms and healthy pepper were collected from the experimental farm of WorldVeg, Shanhua, Taiwan. Metagenomic sequencing and analysis of the 16S (V3-V4) and ITS (3-4) regions comparison among samples were performed. Species composition showed an abundance of F. oxysporum , F. proliferatum , and F. solani associated with diseased peppers. The unique taxa directly associated with healthy peppers and distinct from the pepper conserved microbial community were identified as potential biocontrol agents. Thus, the analysis of plant-microbial communities can provide insights on key microbes for biocontrol against diseases and their interaction with host plants and pathogens.