Marigolds Benign to Soil Microorganisms Recent work by Bruce Reynolds and Drs. John Potter, Jim Brandle and Bonnie Ball-Coelho has demonstrated that marigolds are very effective at controlling endopathogenic nematodes, pests which result in significant economic loss of a number of crops. Experiments exploring the commercial potential of marigolds as an alternative to fumigation with chemical nematocides on sandy soils are ongoing. One potential element of concern with the use of marigolds was that the nematodical compounds they produce might be inhibitory to microorganisms which contribute to soil fertility. Recent work by Dr. Ed Topp has found that soils cropped to marigolds are not impaired in either the number or the activity of bacteria and fungi contributing to carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Marigolds thus appear to be benign to the soil microflora.
Ed Topp . Fire Blight Resistance and Control Fire blight is the major disease constraint of pear production in Ontario and can impact apple production significantly. Timing of applications is critical and even then, streptomycin does not always control the disease. Dr. David Hunter and Neva Greig are using biotechnological approaches to incorporate disease resistance into high quality fruiting cultivars. David Hunter recently spent six months on work transfers to develop skills in genetic transformation of tree fruit species.