VG00044 Clubroot – Applicator design

Clubroot is the most serious soilborne disease affecting brassicas world wide.

Clubroot is caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin, an obligate biotrophic parasite.

Australian crop losses are estimated at between 5 and 10% of production.

Clubroot is endemic in most of the major production regions of Victoria, New South Wales and
Tasmania.

FACT : Existing machinery can be modified for strategic application

Commercial banding machines called ‘precision incorporators’ have been designed to incorporate treatments into the transplant row.

• Application immediately before transplanting ensures products are evenly distributed around the transplants root zone where protection from infection is required.
• Purpose built machines for strategic application have a small tool bar to which two spray jets, and/or granular chutes and two small rotary hoes are fitted.
• Each rotary hoe is mounted in a ‘metal’ (or other) box approximately 23cm wide to retain the treated soil in the planting row following tillage.
• Within these bands the soil is tilled to an approximate depth of 15-20cm.
• Transplanting equipment can be mounted directly behind the ‘precision incorporator’
• This enables treatment and transplanting to occur in a single tractor pass provided the selected treatments do not pose a health and safety risk to the user.

Acknowlegements:
Financial support for this research has been provided by: Horticulture Australia Limited, the vegetable
growers R&D levy and Stae Departments of Agriculture.

Thanks to the following growers for their assistance with trial work:

Thanks to the following for their technical assistance on the project:

Statistical advice by Fiona Thomson and Nam Ky Nguyen (Department of Primary Industries, Vic).