Sustainable pest and disease management
Pest and disease outbreaks pose a risk to any horticultural business, and the Australian mushroom industry is no exception. Outbreaks can result in significant financial losses for the grower, and broader reputational damage to the sector as a whole.
As consumers increasingly demand produce that is clean and green, a sustainable approach to pest and disease management will help protect market access for the industry into the future.
A new Hort Innovation project, led by Dr Aimee McKinnon from Agriculture Victoria, investigates effective alternatives to complement current pest and disease management strategies for the mushroom industry.
Read full article in MushroomLink Issue 4
It’s a wrap on MU16003 Pest and disease management and research services
Like all crops, mushroom yields can be adversely impacted by pests and diseases. However, mushrooms lack protective skins, as well as the defence compounds often produced by parent plants. Moreover, treating disease with fungicide is clearly problematic for a fungus! Added to this is a short cropping cycle, leaving little time to treat diseases mid cycle.
Prevention is better than cure very much applies here.
The team have researched and collated information on current and emerging mushroom pests and pathogens, as well as how to recognise, treat and manage them.
Research projects focussed on critical areas that would have the greatest impact on effective pest and disease management strategies, including:
Improving management of foot dips
Getting the best from cookout
Mushroom Virus X Syndrome - Patch Disease and Brown Cap Mushroom Disease
Syzygites megalocarpus – Troll Doll
Internal Stipe Necrosis
Grower engagement was a top priority over the five years, with considerable effort taken to encourage uptake of the resources and expertise that was being made available.
Despite COVID-19 disruptions, ten face-to-face workshops were delivered over five states, attracting attendees from nearly 50% of levy-paying farms. There were also numerous “phone a friend” online consultations.
Workshop topics included mushroom pathology 101, dry bubble biology and management, vectors, spot treatment training, cobweb biology and management, and on farm sampling.
Four on-farm visits allowed the team to examine vulnerabilities of different farms to pests and diseases; these visits highlighted disease hotspots and assisted farms to develop better management strategies.
A key activity of the project team has been to maintain and update the AGORA website, making it the central library of mushroom pest, disease and hygiene information. Hundreds of resources are available, including both locally produced fact sheets and articles and publications from around the world. There are also videos demonstrating sampling methods, spot treatments and pest and disease identification.
The information on AGORA provides an invaluable industry asset for understanding and managing not just pest and diseases, but the important roles of compost quality, farm hygiene and other factors.
Having such information available through AGORA has helped numerous farms manage their way through serious diseases.
Note that access to AGORA is password protected – please contact Judy Allan or Leah Bramich to obtain a login.
Information for this article has been sourced from articles and fact sheets published through the AMGA by Judy Allan and Warwick Gill, and the MU16003 final report.
This is an abridged version of the article that will appear in the magazine
A new diagnostic tool gives growers the upper hand in controlling disease
A mushroom industry-funded project has delivered a commercially available early disease detection service which has revolutionised the way growers manage disease.
Growers can now identify disease early, whether in compost, grow room, or the crop itself, facilitating timely action to manage diseases and minimise losses.
Samples being prepared for PCR testing
For example, the system can identify Trichoderma aggressivum, a species of green mould that is highly damaging to yield but nearly impossible to distinguish visually from other less serious green moulds.
Interestingly, the PCR test used to detect Trichoderma uses the same technology as the gold standard PCR test for detecting COVID-19.
The PCR test can also identify Dry Bubble (Lecanicillium fungicola), Cobweb (Cladobotryum sp.) and Bacterial Blotch. All four diseases are included in the same testing ‘panel’, meaning that a single test can detect any of the diseases above in any one sample provided.
The results from a single sample give a positive or negative for a range of species (see Table 1), as well as an indication of how much disease is present.
Quick turnaround of test results, early detection before symptoms are evident, and cost-effectiveness are all major benefits of the new testing service.
The PCR-based testing service was developed by a Hort Innovation project (MU12007) and is now fully operational.
The development team was led by Associate Professor Michael Kertesz from the University of Sydney. Partners included AusDiagnostics, who provided the PCR delivery platform, and disease experts Judy Allan and Dr Warwick Gill. Trials were carried out by the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit (MLMRU).
The project was managed by Applied Horticultural Research (AHR) who are now also providing the testing service commercially from their Sydney laboratory.
Trichoderma (left) and dry bubble (right) are just two of the diseases that can be tested for using the PCR testing service
The diseases which can be detected using the PCR testing service developed by Hort Innovation project MU12007 are:
Cobweb - Cladobotryum mycophilum (Hypomyces odoratus)
Lecanicillium spp.
Dry bubble - Lecanicillium fungicola (Verticillium fungicola)
Trichoderma spp.
Green mould - Trichoderma aggressivum
Bacterial blotch - Pseudomonas tolaasii and Pseudomonas gingeri
Testing and control measures on farm are effective at controlling disease
The mushroom disease testing service has already proved popular, with over 5,000 samples processed since August 2020.
As well as identifying disease, testing after cookout can provide vital information on whether control measures taken at the farm have been effective.
AHR has seen some encouraging trends in the testing results, showing that PCR testing for disease, coupled with corrective action, is effective at controlling disease.
AHR principal, Dr Gordon Rogers says “Farms using this service see a steady decline in positives for diseases they are targeting.”
“This means the control measures on farms are working, and testing is confirming their effectiveness.”
AHR employee Samali Perera runs mushroom samples through the PCR machine
How to get your samples tested
PCR testing, developed during the Hort Innovation project, is now being offered as a commercial service by AHR, using a methodology commercialised by AusDiagnostics.
The PCR technique is highly sensitive at detecting diseases. A sample containing even the smallest amount of the disease can usually be detected before any symptoms are evident in the crop.
Very importantly, the way the sample is collected is critical.
A video produced by Judy Allan and Warwick Gill demonstrates how to collect samples for disease testing from growing rooms, equipment, work areas, mushroom caps and compost. Click here to view the video or visit the AGORA website for both the video and appropriate control measures.
To test for the presence of Trichoderma, Cobweb, Dry Bubble or Blotch disease, send your samples by express post to the AHR diagnostic laboratory in Sydney to:
Applied Horticultural Research
PO Box 917 Alexandria NSW 1435
For more information on how to collect and send samples to the laboratory, visit the AHR website https://ahr.com.au/mushroom-disease-diagnosis-service
This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the mushroom research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.
MU21002 - Desktop review of pathway risks for the mushroom industry - Agaricus mushrooms and growth substrate imports
Key research provider: Applied Horticultural Research
This investment is identifying exotic mushroom pests and diseases and investigating the potential ways that they could enter Australia. Managing pests and diseases is a key priority for the Australian mushroom industry, as the entry of new pests and diseases could pose a serious threat.
The project team will investigate all possible routes for these pests and diseases to enter Australia, such as through imported Agaricus or exotic mushroom varieties, or other means including substrates (e.g. logs) or inoculum.
The research team will collaborate with the project Development of a biosecurity plan for Australian mushrooms (MU18006) as well as other industry risk-related projects and key industry organisations.
The research team will collaborate with the project Development of a biosecurity plan for Australian mushrooms (MU18006) and other industry risk-related projects and key industry organisations.