Effect of cover crop mix on root-knot nematode count un der greenhouse conditions.
Plant-parasitic nematodes can adversely affect crop growth and yield and thus result in reduction in agricultural productivity and profitability. Cover crops have been widely used to provide agro ecological services including the cultural management of plant-parasitic nematodes. In this study, two experiments were conducted in Florida to evaluate the potential of two cover crop species as monocultures and as mixtures to suppress root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita race two) populations. Both experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions using sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) and sorghum sudangrass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Drummondii]. Additionally, cucumber (Cucumis sativus) was used as a control. The experiment was setup in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications and 12 treatments. Soil in pots was inoculated with M. incognita at planting for six treatments, while the remaining six treatments received no nematodes. Twelve weeks after the inoculation, cover crops were harvested and the shoot biomass, the final nematode population, and Reproduction factor (Rf) of M. incognita were determined. No significant difference in either the number of M. incognita egg masses (p=0.0667) or Rf values (p=0.0600) was found among cover crop treatments. Numbers of egg masses with the cover crop treatments ranged from 1472 to 3818 per gram of root, but were not significantly lower than the 4381 egg masses obtained with cucumber. However, there were differences in biomass accumulation among the cover crop treatments (p=0.0000). The sunn hemp and sorghum-sudangrass biculture with 75% sunn hemp was as effective as the sunn hemp monoculture in reducing M. incognita second-stage juvenile numbers in soil (p=0.0499). A sunn hemp/sorghum sudangrass biculture with a higher proportion of sunn hemp than sorghum sudangrass appears to have potential as a more cost-effective nematode management strategy than sunn hemp alone.
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| Format: | info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
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Universidad EARTH
2020-12
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| Subjects: | CULTIVOS DE COBERTURA, NEMATODOS PARASITOS DE PLANTAS, CONTROL DE NEMATODOS, MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA, CROTALARIA, CULTIVO EN INVERNADERO, SORGHUM BICOLOR, CUCUMIS SATIVUS, https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#4.01.01, |
| Online Access: | https://repositorio.earth.ac.cr/handle/UEARTH/168 |
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