Efficacies of Biological Control Agents for Controlling Fusarium spp. in Soilless Cannabis Cultivation

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Nesbitt, James

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University of Guelph

Abstract

The cannabis cultivation industry is facing many challenges dealing with pathogen control. This thesis investigated the use of biological control agents (BCAs) to suppress the severity and incidence of Fusarium proliferatum on cannabis in a soilless growing system. Four BCAs (Actinovate, Jumpstart, Quickroots, and Rootshield) showed strong suppression of F. proliferatum in vitro. On vegetative cannabis plants, Rootshield and Actinovate suppressed the spread of F. proliferatum on the tops of rockwool blocks. The inoculation of F. proliferatum with and without BCAs on flowering cannabis did not affect height, biomass, inflorescence yield or inflorescence cannabinoid and terpene concentrations. Further, Quickroots and Rootshield colonized cannabis roots and persisted in a soilless system more than two weeks after inoculation. Severe symptoms associated with Fusarium infection were not observed under optimal growing conditions. This thesis reports the results of several BCA tests to control F. proliferatum on cannabis, and outlines growth and quality implications.

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Keywords

Biological control, Fusarium, Cannabis, sativa, Soilless cultivation, Pathogen

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