Sustainable management of apple replant disease

It is now generally accepted that apple replant disease (ARD) is a disease-complex primarily caused by microbial pathogens. Recent research by Niab, funded by BBSRC and the EU, has shown that disease severity is reduced where newly planted trees are planted on a rootstock genetically distinct from the previous one and the trees are in the previous grass alley. Amending soils with specific biopesticides and microbes or organic composts further reduced the problem. In this project, Niab will evaluate an integrated approach to control using all these treatments in combination.