A preliminary field trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of chemical and biological control treatments for damping off pathogens in spinach. We demonstrated that three fungicide treatments significantly reduced the area of diseased plants, however, they did not significantly increase spinach yield compared to untreated controls. This is most likely due to other variables affecting plant growth in the trial area.
This report presents findings from a grower led, on-farm demonstration trial. Grower led pilot trials provide preliminary feasibility assessments of new practices. They can lead to on-farm adaptation of practices and/or replicated research trials to rigorously test assumptions made because of initial findings.
