DISEASES AND PESTS OF SUGARBEET (Volumes 1 & 2) DVD
*WINNER of the 2006 COMENIUS Award
*WINNER of the 2004 Magna Mater - 21st International Film Festival, AGROFILM
Addressing the greatest disease and yield threats to the sugarbeet, this program uses three-dimensional computer animations and commentaries to depict the complete life cycles of pathogens as well as means of control. Students, farmers, technical advisors, and teachers are sure to find the videos fascinating and informative.
VOLUME ONE - two videos
CERECOSPORA BETICOLA and RAMULARIA BETICOLA (9:15 min)
The most important pathogens causing leaf diseases of sugarbeet are Cercospora beticola and Ramularia beticola. The disease cycles of these pathogenic fungi are illustrated in photo-like 3D animations and real-image video sequences. Particularly, the mode of infection as well as pathogen spread are exhaustively shown. The use of epidemiological threshold values as a decision-making aid for the selective application of fungicides is explained. By growing varieties of sugarbeet that are less susceptible to Cercospora and Ramularia beticola the course of infection can be delayed.
BEET CYST NEMATODE HETERODERA SCHACHTII (12:30 min)
*Winner of the 2004 Agrofilm Magna Mater
The pest that poses the greatest threat to sugarbeet yield, particularly in warm and sufficiently moist soils, is the beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii. The movie depicts the complete life cycle of this pathogen - from the hatching of juveniles, infection of sugarbeet roots, induction of feeding cell systems (syncytia) to the development of adult males and females, followed by fertilization and cyst formation. Since chemical controls (nematicides) are frequently uneconomical or unavailable, the movie also explains cultural means of control, like long rotations with non-host crops and growing of trap crops, most notably nematode-resistant cultivars of mustard and radish. Finally, new high-yielding nematode-resistant sugarbeet cultivars are shown, offering novel nematode management tools to the farmer.
VOLUME TWO - two videos
RHIZOMANIA (12:00 min)
*Winner of the 2005 Scientific and Popular Scientific Films
Rhizomania or "root madness" is one of the most serious diseases of sugarbeet. It is caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV). The virus is carried and transmitted by the soilborne protozoan Polymyxa betae. When zoospores of P. betae carrying BNYVV invade roots of sugarbeet, the virus is released by the protozoan, multiplies, and spreads within the plant. Virus infection causes massive proliferation of secondary roots, giving the taproot a bearded appearance. Storage of sugar in the taproot is substantially reduced. With photo-like 3D computer animations, the film illustrates the life-cycle of the virus vector P. betae, thus leading to a better understanding of the development of rhizomania and, consequently, means of controlling it. Finally, information on new high-yield rhizomania-resistant varieties of sugarbeet is presented.
ROOT ROT - BIOLOGIC STRATEGIES OF ROOT-ROTTING PATHOGENS (9:50 min)
Soilborne pathogens known to cause root rot of sugarbeet include Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Aphanomyces cochlioides. In order to utilize the energy stored in the sugarbeets, these pathogens adopt different strategies: Rhizoctonia solani forms specialized infection structures (infection cushions), Fusarium oxysporum releases toxins that support fungal growth within the beet's vascular system, and the mode of infection of Aphanomyces cochlioides is characterized by formation of motile zoospores. The various biologic strategies are illustrated in detail, followed by sequences focusing on agronomic disease management methods, including plant resistance.
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