Vertical distribution of the plant-parasitic nematode, Meloidogyne chitwoodi, under field crops

Abstract

The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne chitwoodi is a severe pest on sandy soils in Belgium and causes quality damage to economically important crops such as carrot, potato and black salsify. Pre-planting soil sampling to detect infestations has proven useful to farmers when taking decisions on the crop rotation. To develop an adequate sampling strategy, the vertical distribution of M. chitwoodi was examined under summer barley, carrot, fodder beet, bean, marigold and black fallow on two fields with a sandy soil. Soil samples were collected at monthly intervals from April 2004 to April 2006. Cores were taken to a depth of 70 cm and split into 10 cm segments. Nematodes were extracted by zonal centrifugation. Fodder beet increased the population of M. chitwoodi immensely; carrot was also a good host. Barley was a moderate host and under bean and marigolds the population decreased. The relative distribution of M. chitwoodi over the different soil layers during two successive years was consistent in each field. The different successions with good, moderate and poor hosts did not influence this distribution significantly. A logistic model was fitted to the mean cumulative percentages of nematodes at increasing soil depth. Farmers are advised to take soil samples for detection of M. chitwoodi immediately after harvest, especially after crops with a long field period. Adapting the depth of the cores taken to the vertical distribution of the population can increase the chances of detection. Our results suggest that this distribution is persistent in crop rotations and depends on field characteristics.

Spatial distribution of Aphanomyces euteiches inoculum in a naturally infested pea field

“…These results were consistent with those obtained by Pfender and Hagedorn (1983) who observed that A. euteiches inoculum, generally associated with organic debris, was found primarily in the layer of ploughed soil, in which it may persist for >10 years. Our observations on the vertical distribution of A. euteiches in the soil, were also similar to those made for two plant-parasitic nematodes: Heterodera glycines (Rupe et al 1999) and Meloidogyne chitwoodi (Wesemael and Moens 2007).…”

Screening of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) for resistance against temperate root‐knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.)

“…Polder and marigold Tagetes patula L. cv. Single Gold reduced the population of M. chitwoodi significantly 36. When beans are harvested, stubbles and roots remain in the field.…”

Lowering quality damage in open-field vegetables caused by Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax in the low countries.

“…Most likely this is due to a stronger winter decline and hence a lower initial population. For M. chitwoodi this might not be successful due to differences in survival strategy (Wesemael et al, 2006) and peaks in the population when soil temperatures increase have been observed (Pinkerton et al, 1991;Wesemael and Moens, 2008b).…”