Influence of soil organic amendments on suppression of the burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, on the growth of bananas

Abstract

Radopholus similis is a major constraint to banana production in Australia and growers have relied on nematicides to manage production losses. The use of organic amendments is one method that may reduce the need for nematicides, but there is limited knowledge of the influence of organic amendments on endo-migratory nematodes, such as R. similis. Nine different amendments, namely, mill mud, mill ash, biosolids, municipal waste compost, banana residue, grass hay, legume hay, molasses and calcium silicate were applied to the three major soil types of the wet tropics region used for banana production. The nutrient content of the amendments was also determined. Banana plants were inoculated with R. similis and grown in the soil-amendment mix for 12-weeks in a glasshouse experiment. Assessments of plant growth, plant-parasitic nematodes and soil nematode community characteristics were made at the termination of the experiment. Significant suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes occurred in soils amended with legume hay, grass hay, banana residue and mill mud relative to untreated soil. These amendments were found to have the highest N and C content. The application of banana residue and mill mud significantly increased shoot dry weight at the termination of the experiment relative to untreated soil. Furthermore, the applications of banana residue, grass hay, mill mud and municipal waste compost increased the potential for suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes through antagonistic activity. The application of amendments that are high in C and N appeared to be able to induce suppression of plantparasitic nematodes in bananas, by developing a more favourable environment for antagonistic organisms.

Discrimination of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes from Complex Soil Communities Using Ecometagenetics

“…In the banana soil, most of 11 plantparasitic nematode species identified in our study occur commonly in the soil, together with the dominant Radopholus similis (35,36).…”

Functional Diversity of Soil Nematodes in Relation to the Impact of Agriculture—A Review

“…The rhizosphere microbial diversity will undergo substantial modification following organic mulching, which will depend on the type of OM, the climate, soil type, etc. [140]. The possible negative impact by P. goodeyi on banana in Rwanda, for instance, was likely masked by the fact that nematode populations were positively correlated with high plant density and/or mulching practices, which reduced root necrosis and led to relatively high plant vigor, irrespective of soil type [141].…”

“…This is likely due to multiple reasons, including the modification of the rhizosphere soil microbial community, which becomes richer and more populated with mulching. Studies on plantain in West Africa have consistently demonstrated the improved productivity and longevity of plantations infected with nematodes following mulching, irrespective of the type of mulch [137,[142][143][144], and similarly elsewhere on other banana types [140,145,146]. The regular application of relatively small amounts of fresh Tithonia diversifolia leaf material to plantain heavily affected by nematodes in Nigeria demonstrated great beneficial effects on crop performance [147].…”

Effect of Molasses Application Alone or Combined with Trichoderma asperellum T-34 on Meloidogyne spp. Management and Soil Microbial Activity in Organic Production Systems

“…Among the available organic amendments, molasses, a byproduct from the sugar beet or sugarcane industry, has been assessed alone or combined with urea against plant-parasitic nematodes, including Meloidogyne spp. [18][19][20][21][22][23], with variable results. Molasses has also been used as carbon source combined with composted poultry litter in anaerobic soil disinfestation [24].…”