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Updated: May 25, 2026
Inoculation Strategies to Infect Plant Roots with Soil-Borne Microorganisms
Published on: March 1, 2022
Interactions between the root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 and acetolactate-synthase-inhibiting herbicides in
Hyejin Lee1, Steven E Ullrich, Ian C Burke
1Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Background:
The widespread acceptance of reduced-tillage farming in cereal cropping systems in the Pacific Northwest of the United States has resulted in increased use of herbicides for weed control. However, soil residual concentrations of widely used imidazalone herbicides limit the cultivation of barley, which is more sensitive than wheat. In addition, increased severity of the root rot disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani is associated with reduction in tillage. Many crops exhibit altered disease responses after application of registered herbicides. In this study, the injury symptoms in barley caused by sublethal rates of two acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides, imazamox and propoxycarbazone-sodium, were assessed in factorial combinations with a range of inoculum concentrations of the root rot pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG-8.
Results:
Both herbicides and pathogen had negative impacts on plant growth parameters such as root and shoot dry weight, shoot height and first leaf length, and interactions between pathogen and herbicide were detected.
Conclusions:
The results suggested that sublethal rates of herbicides and R. solani could alter severity of injury symptoms, possibly owing to the herbicide predisposing the plant to the pathogen.
