Polyhydroxyalkanoic Acid Soil Amendment for White Root Rot Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling soil-borne diseases, such as white root rot, are ineffective due to the short storage life of microorganisms and chemicals, and the variability and deterioration of organic waste, leading to inconsistent and unsustainable disease suppression.
Innovation Solution
Applying polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA) with a structure represented by the formula [—CHR—CH2—CO—O—] to the soil, which promotes the growth of indigenous microorganisms that decompose the PHA, creating a long-lasting and effective antagonistic environment against soil-borne pathogens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If microorganisms are added to soil to suppress white root rot, then disease suppression effect is improved, but storage life is shortened to one year or less
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (polymer or organic waste) that serves as a carbon source to cultivate beneficial microorganisms in situ. This mediator allows the soil's existing microorganism population to be transformed into a disease-suppressing community, eliminating the need to store and transport live microorganisms while maintaining their biological activity and disease suppression effectiveness.
2Reliability
If chemical compounds are added to soil to control soil-borne diseases, then disease control effectiveness is improved, but environmental harm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts potentially harmful substances into beneficial ones by using polymer decomposition products or organic waste as carbon sources to cultivate beneficial microorganisms. The substances that could be considered waste or byproducts become the foundation for building a disease-suppressing soil ecosystem, transforming potential harm into therapeutic benefit.
3Reliability
If organic waste is added to soil to suppress white root rot, then disease suppression is improved, but quality uniformity deteriorates due to deterioration and variable production conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses quality uniformity by controlling key parameters of the organic waste or polymer materials used. By standardizing characteristics such as carbon content, decomposition rate, and physical form, the patent ensures consistent performance despite variations in organic waste sources. This parameter control allows reliable disease suppression while accommodating the flexibility of using organic waste materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The PHA-mixed soil effectively suppresses the growth of pathogens like white root rot fungus, maintaining its suppressive effect for several months to years, reducing disease incidence and severity in plant cultivation.
Implementation Method 1
applying at least one polyhydroxyalkanoic acid... which promotes the growth of indigenous microorganisms that decompose the PHA
Implementation Method 2
indigenous microorganisms that decompose the PHA
Implementation Method 3
creating a long-lasting and effective antagonistic environment against soil-borne pathogens
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a soil-borne disease control method capable of simply suppressing a soil-borne pathogen. The method for controlling a soil-borne disease includes applying at least one polyhydroxyalkanoic acid having a structure represented by the following formula (1) to soil:[—CHR—CH2—CO—O—] (1)(wherein R is an alkyl group represented by CnH2n+1 and n is an integer of 1 or more but 15 or less).