The Effect of Expanded Rice Hulls as a Root Substrate on the Suppression of Anthracnose Crown Rot in Strawberry

This research was conducted to determine the effects of four different substrates, expanded rice hulls (ERH), commercial substrates for strawberries (CSS), clay sand (CS), and loamy sand (LS), on the inhibition of anthracnose crown rot (ACR) in strawberry. Mother plants of 'Seolhyang' strawberry were transplanted into an elevated bed in March, 2013 and March, 2014 and the runners connecting mother plants and daughter plants were cut in early August of both years. After separation, growth characteristics of the daughter plants were measured and then each daughter plant was inoculated with conidial suspensions of Colletotrichum fructicola, one of several species of Colletotrichum that causes ACR in strawberries. The incidence of ACR as influenced by the different substrates was investigated in both years. The daughter plants grown on CSS had the highest values for shoot height, leaf area, and fresh weight. Those grown on ERH and LS substrates also displayed good above-ground growth characteristics except for fresh weight, but the daughter plants grown on CS had the poorest above-ground growth characteristics. The ERH and CS treatments resulted in the highest number of primary roots and the greatest root weight. The CSS-grown daughter plants had the highest ACR disease index, followed by the CS and LS treatments, but there were no significant differences among the three substrates. However, the ERH-grown daughter plants had a markedly lower ACR disease index on October 11, 2013 and October 7, 2014. The CSS-grown daughter plants had high nitrogen and potassium contents and low calcium content, whereas the ERH-grown daughter plants had low nitrogen levels and high silicon levels. The results of this study provide basic information on the ability of the different substrates tested to provide disease suppression of ACR in the propagation of strawberry transplants.