BACKGROUNDThree field experiments evaluated the performance of the nematicide fluensulfone against the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida in Shropshire, England.RESULTSExperiments 1 and 2 showed reduced root infection and lowered multiplication of G. pallida following fluensulfone (Nimitz 15G ®) soil treatments at five rates (1.95, 3.00, 4.05 (full rate), 5.05 and 6.00 kg AI ha−1) and Nimitz 480EC ® at the full rate. Experiment 3 demonstrated a positive interaction between the full rate of Nimitz 15G and the potato variety Santé in the reduction of G. pallida. The fluensulfone treatments at the full rate had more consistent effects than the lower rates, and there were no greater effects for the treatments higher than this full rate. Generally, fluensulfone was less efficacious than oxamyl or fosthiazate, which suggests that the treatment may not be reliably integrated within shorter potato rotations.CONCLUSIONThe data suggest that fluensulfone soil application could make a useful addition to the few available nematicide treatments for the control of G. pallida rather than be a substitute for these treatments.© 2016 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Three new potato genotypes, designated AR 04-4107, AR 04-4096 and AR 04-4098, with resistance towards Meloidogyne chitwoodi, and the susceptible cv. Désirée were grown at a range of population densities of M. chitwoodi in a climate-controlled glasshouse in order to establish the presence and degree of partial resistance. Tuber parts of about 12 g were planted at densities (Pi) of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 second-stage juveniles (J2) (g dry soil) −1 . The plants were allowed to grow for a period of 105 days. Tomato cv. Moneymaker was included and inoculated at Pi = 2 J2 (g soil) −1 to verify the quality of the inoculum by measuring the multiplication rate. Plant height was measured weekly over 11 weeks. At harvest, fresh shoot, root and tuber weights, and number of tubers were measured to express yield. Final population densities (Pf ) were calculated as the total number of nematodes found in soil and roots. Tubers were scored for visible symptoms and a root-knot index was calculated. The relation between pre-plant population densities (Pi) and nematode densities at harvest (Pf ) was fitted using R. The multiplication rate a of M. chitwoodi on AR 04-4107, AR 04-4096, AR 04-4098 and cv. Désirée was 0.55, 0.27, 0.91 and 32, respectively. Partial resistance rs a of AR 04-4107, AR 04-4096 and AR 04-4098 was 1.7%, 0.8% and 2.8%, respectively. Partial resistance expressed as rs M was 0.2%, 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. It can be concluded that AR 04-4107, AR 04-4096 and AR 04-4098 are strongly partially resistant to M. chitwoodi. Also, the population dynamics curves run almost parallel between both the tested genotypes and the reference cultivar, indicating that a simple and cheap partial resistance test is feasible. When tuber yields were fitted to the Seinhorst model for yield reduction, cv. Désirée showed a minimum yield (m) of 0.86, while all three resistant genotypes suffered no yields losses at all (m = 1), which indicates that the observed resistance was associated with tolerance. As a result of the remarkably high partial resistance, quality damage was low compared with cv. Désirée. The root-knot index, which takes into account internal quality damage of the potato tuber, was below 10 for all genotypes with partial resistance, the lower damage threshold used for industrial processing of consumption potatoes. Visible symptoms on the tuber skin were absent up to densities of 32 J2 (g soil) −1 for genotypes AR 04-4098 and AR 04-4096 and 2 J2 (g soil) −1 for AR 04-4107, and significantly reduced at higher densities when compared with the susceptible cv. Désirée. However, when tuber peels were investigated, egg masses were detected in tubers at almost all initial population densities.

A survey was conducted in twenty-five cashew (Anacardium occidentale) orchards in five communities in the Dormaa-Central Municipality of Bono Region of Ghana to assess the incidence and severity of anthracnose, gummosis and die-back diseases on cashew. Cashew diseased samples of leaves, stem, inflorescences, twigs, flowers, nuts and apples showing symptoms (e. g. small, water-soaked, circular or irregular yellow, dark or brown spots or lesions on leaves, fruits and flowers, sunken surface, especially on the apples, blight, gum exudates) were collected for isolation of presumptive causative organism. The pathogen was isolated after disinfecting the excised diseased pieces in 70% ethanol, plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 28 oC for 3 to 7 days. The identity of the putative pathogen was morphologically and culturally confirmed as belonging to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex using standard mycological identification protocols. The pathogen had varied conidia sizes of between 9-15 up to 20 μm in length and diameter of 3-6 μm. The conidia were straight and cylindrically shaped with rounded or obtuse ends. The septate mycelium was whitish-grey, velvety and cotton-like in appearance from the top. The results confirmed the presence of the pathogen in the orchards with incidence ranging from 6.9% and 14.0% for gummosis and averaged 22.9% for anthracnose infected orchards. The result of the pathogenicity test confirmed the isolates to be pathogenic on inoculated cashew seedlings and were consistently re-isolated, thereby establishing the pathogen as the true causal agent of the said diseases in cashew trees and thus completed the Koch’s postulate.

Batch adsorption experiments were performed to determine the sorption of the nematicide fluensulfone as a technical-grade and a granular formulation (as Nimitz 15G) in six UK arable soils. The Freundlich and equilibrium sorption coefficients and , respectively, were generally low. and correlated positively with soil organic matter in all instances. The sorption kinetics was similar for both forms, but the was about four times lower for Nimitz 15G than the technical-grade, suggesting concentration dependency of fluensulfone sorption. The low sorption of fluensulfone across the soils indicates that partitioning of fluensulfone to the soil liquid phase may be unlimited. Therefore, substantial availability in the soil to be effective is likely. Sorption, therefore, may not limit fluensulfone efficacy. Nonetheless, these results call for cautious use of the nematicide because leaching is possible.

As part of a broader study to evaluate the efficacy of fluensulfone for control of the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, two field experiments in Shropshire (at Woodcote and Howle in 2010 and 2011, respectively) England, were used to monitor the persistence of fluensulfone in potato beds treated with Nimitz 15G® (fluensulfone) at 27 kg ha−1. Fluensulfone dissipated at similar rates in the two fields, with a trend best described by a sigmoidal curve. The time to 50% dissipation (DT50) was 24.3 days at Woodcote, and 23.7 days at Howle. No differences were found between the DT50 for fluensulfone and that observed for fosthiazate. The short DT50 demonstrated for fluensulfone in this study is a positive attribute as this nematicide may pose a negligible hazard to the environment. However, its persistence at an effective dose may be long enough to be effective over the peak hatch period of G. pallida.

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), a recently recognized cash crop in Ghana, is an economically export oriented crop that plays a helping role in the Ghanaian economy in diverse ways. Owing to its importance, surveys were conducted in some major cashew producing communities in Dormaa and Berekum West District of the Bono region to assess the problems of insect pests and diseases associated with this economic tree across the study area. Diseased samples showing varying degrees of symptoms were taken for isolation and identification using morphological method. Insect pests were also assessed and identified. The results showed Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex to be associated with anthracnose, leaf lesions or spots, gummosis of twigs and stems and regressive die-back; Lasiodiplodia theobromae was found to cause stem and twig gummosis, blight, die-back of twigs and inflorescence; Pestalotia sp. was associated with Pestalotia leaf spot. Others, such as Penicillium sp., powdery mildew, Curvularia lunata, Cephaleuros sp. (red rust- algal leaf spot), mushroom and lichens were also found to be associated with the cashew orchards in the study area. Anthracnose, gummosis, algal leaf, and stem spots (red rust) and cashew kernel infection by Curvularia lunata constituted the major diseases of cashew in ascending order in the study area. The insect pests identified included Oecophylla smaragdina, Anoplocne miscurvipeson, Pseudotheraptus devastans, Pachnoda cordata, Pachnoda marginata, Helopeltis bug, Helopeltis schoutedeni, Planococcus sp., Lamida moncusalis, Odontotermes sp., Aphis sp., Analeptes trifasciata. Some unidentified pathogens, pests and other abnormalities were also observed.

Field studies were undertaken at Offinso in the Ashanti Region of Ghana during the 2015/2016 growing season to evaluate growth, root and dry matter yields of an improved cassava variety (Bankyehemaa) treated with poultry manure (PM), NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 23-10-10 fertilizers. The treatment structure was a 3 x 4 factorial, laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Three levels of fertilizer (600 kg/ha NPK 15-15-15, 600 kg/ha NPK 23-10-10 and 2 t/ha PM) were applied at 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks after planting. The parameters measured included plant height, fresh and dry shoot weights, number of stems per plant, stem girth, fresh and dry root yields and total dry matter yield. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using the Genstat Statistical package. Main effects of fertilizer type and time of fertilizer application on most of the parameters measured were not significant. However, the interaction effects of the two factors were significant in all the parameters measured. Vegetative growth of Bankyehemaa increased when mineral fertilizers were applied earlier than 12 weeks after planting. The highest fresh and dry shoot weights and the biggest stems were produced when NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer was applied at 6 weeks after planting. Plants treated with NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer at 10 weeks after planting were the tallest, while those treated with NPK 23-10-10 fertilizer at 8 weeks after planting produced the highest number of stems per plant. Application of poultry manure at 6 weeks after planting produced the highest fresh cassava root yield of 28.10 t/ha. The highest dry matter yield of 19.80 t/ha was obtained when poultry manure was applied at 12 weeks after planting.