Management of Globodera rostochiensis as Influenced by Nematode Population Densities and Soil Type

The effects of aldicarb, oxamyl, 1,3-D, and plastic mulch (solarization) on soil population densities of the golden nematode (GN) Globodera rostochiensis was assessed in field and microplot experiments with different soil types. Oxamyl was evaluated in both soil and foliar treatments, whereas aldicarb, 1,3-D, and solarization were applied only to soil. Soil applications of aldicarb and oxamyl resulted in reduced nematode populations after GN-susceptible potatoes in plots with initial population densities (Pi) of > 20 and 7.5 eggs/cm³ soil, respectively, but nematode populations increased in treated soil when Pi were less than 20 and 7.5 eggs/cm³soil. In clay loam field plots with Pi of 19-76 eggs/cm³ soil, nematode densities increased even with repeated foliar applications of oxamyl, whereas nematode populations at Pi greater than 76 eggs/cm³ soil were reduced by foliar oxamyl. Treatment with 1,3-D or solarization, singly or in combination, reduced GN soil population densities regardless of soil type or Pi. Temperatures lethal to GN were achieved 5 cm deep under clear plastic but not 10 or 15 cm deep.     

Evaluation of Steam and Soil Solarization for Meloidogyne arenaria Control in Florida Floriculture Crops

Steam and soil solarization were investigated for control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria in 2 yr of field trials on a commercial flower farm in Florida. The objective was to determine if preplant steam treatments in combination with solarization, or solarization alone effectively controlled nematodes compared to methyl bromide (MeBr). Trials were conducted in a field with naturally occurring populations of M. arenaria. Treatments were solarization alone, steam treatment after solarization using standard 7.6-cm-diameter perforated plastic drain tile (steam 1), steam treatment following solarization using custom-drilled plastic drain tile with 1.6-mm holes spaced every 3.8 cm (steam 2), and MeBr applied at 392 kg/ha 80:20 MeBr:chloropicrin. Drain tiles were buried approximately 35 cm deep with four tiles per 1.8 by 30 m plot. Steam application followed a 4-wk solarization period concluding in mid-October. All steam was generated using a Sioux propane boiler system. Plots were steamed for sufficient time to reach the target temperature of 70°C for 20 min. Solarization plastic was retained on the plots during steaming and plots were covered with a single layer of carpet padding to provide additional insulation. The floriculture crops larkspur (Delphinium elatum and Delphinium × belladonna), snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) were produced according to standard commercial practices. One month after treatment in both years of the study, soil populations of M. arenaria were lower in both steam treatments and in MeBr compared to solarization alone. At the end of the season in both years, galling on larkspur, snapdragon, and sunflowers was lower in both steam treatments than in solarization. Both steam treatments also provided control of M. arenaria in soil at the end of the season comparable to, or exceeding that provided by MeBr. Both steam treatments also reduced M. arenaria in snapdragon roots comparable to, or exceeding control with MeBr. Meloidogyne arenaria in soil increased in solarization alone. Solarization alone also had higher gall ratings on larkspur, snapdragon, and sunflower than all other treatments. Steam provided excellent control of M. arenaria in this study.     

Temperature Effects on the Attachment of Pasteuria penetrans Endospores to Meloidogyne arenaria Race 1

Pasteuria penetrans is a gram positive bacterium that prevents Meloidogyne spp. from reproducing and diminishes their ability to penetrate roots. The attachment of the endospores to the cuticle of the nematodes is the first step in the life cycle of the bacterium and is essential for its reproduction. As a preliminary study to a field solarization test, the effects of temperature on the attachment of P. penetrans on Meloidogyne arenaria race 1 were investigated. Preexposing second-stage juveniles (J2) of M. arenaria to approximately 30 °C in water before exposing them to endospores increased their receptivity to endospore attachment when compared to treating J2 at 25 °C or 35 °C. In tests with soil, highest attachment occurred when J2 were incubated in soil infested with endospores and maintained at 20 °C to 30 °C for 4 days. Heating J2 in soil to sublethal temperatures (35 °C to 40 °C) decreased endospore attachment. Incubating P. penetrans endospores in soil at 30 °C to 70 °C for 5 hours a day over 10 days resulted in reductions of endospore attachment to nematodes as temperatures of incubation increased to 50 °C and higher.     

Exposure Time to Lethal Temperatures for Meloidogyne incognita Suppression and Its Implication for Soil Solarization

Meloidogyne incognita eggs or J2 were incubated in test tubes containing sand:peat mix and immersed in a water bath heated to 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45°C for a series of time intervals. Controls were maintained at 22°C. Nematodes surviving or hatching were collected from Baermann trays after three weeks of incubation. Regression analyses between percent survival or egg hatch and hours of heat treatment were performed for each temperature. Complete suppression of egg hatch required 389.8, 164.5, 32.9, 19.7 and 13.1 hours at 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42°C, respectively. Complete killing of J2 required 47.9, 46.2, 17.5 and 13.8 hours at 39, 40, 41 and 42°C, respectively. J2 were not completely killed at 38°C within 40 hours of treatment, but were killed within one hour at 44 and 45°C. Effect of temperature on nematode killing is not determined by heat units. Oscillating temperature between cool and warm did not interfere with the nematode suppressive effect by the heat treatment. Six-week solarization in the field during the summers of 2003 and 2004 in Florida accumulated heat exposure times in the top 15 cm of soil that surpassed levels required to kill M. incognita as determined in the water bath experiments. Although near zero M. incognita were detected right after solarization, the nematode population densities increased after a cycle of a susceptible pepper crop. Therefore, future research should address failure of solarization to kill nematodes in the deeper soil layers.     

Microbial community dynamics and effect of environmental microbial reservoirs on red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)

Beneficial cutaneous bacteria on amphibians can protect against the lethal disease chytridiomycosis, which has devastated many amphibian species and is caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We describe the diversity of bacteria on red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in the wild and the stability of these communities through time in captivity using culture-independent Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing. After field sampling, salamanders were housed with soil from the field or sterile media. The captive conditions led to different trajectories of bacterial communities. Eight OTUs present on >90% of salamanders in the field, through time, and in both treatments were defined as the core community, suggesting that some bacteria are closely associated with the host and are independent of an environmental reservoir. One of these taxa, a Pseudomonas sp., was previously cultured from amphibians and found to be antifungal. As all host-associated bacteria were found in the soil reservoir, environmental microbes strongly influence host–microbial diversity and likely regulate the core community. Using PICRUSt, an exploratory bioinformatics tool to predict gene functions, we found that core skin bacteria provided similar gene functions to the entire community. We suggest that future experiments focus on testing whether core bacteria on salamander skin contribute to the observed resistance to chytridiomycosis in this species even under hygenic captive conditions. For disease-susceptible hosts, providing an environmental reservoir with defensive bacteria in captive-rearing programs may improve outcomes by increasing bacterial diversity on threatened amphibians or increasing the likelihood that defensive bacteria are available for colonization.     

Effects of the Integration of Sunn Hemp and Soil Solarization on Plant-Parasitic and Free-Living Nematodes

Sunn hemp (SH), Crotolaria juncea, is known to suppress Rotylenchulus reniformis and weeds while enhancing free-living nematodes involved in nutrient cycling. Field trials were conducted in 2009 (Trial I) and 2010 (Trial II) to examine if SH cover cropping could suppress R. reniformis and weeds while enhancing free-living nematodes if integrated with soil solarization (SOL). Cover cropping of SH, soil solarization, and SH followed by SOL (SHSOL) were compared to weedy fallow control (C). Rotylenchulus reniformis population was suppressed by SHSOL at the end of cover cropping or solarization period (Pi) in Trial I, but not in Trial II. However, SOL and SHSOL did not suppress R. reniformis compared to SH in either trial. SH enhanced abundance of bacterivores and suppressed the % herbivores only at Pi in Trial II. At termination of the experiment, SH resulted in a higher enrichment index indicating greater soil nutrient availability, and a higher structure index indicating a less disturbed nematode community compared to C. SOL suppressed bacterivores and fungivores only in Trial II but not in Trial I. On the other hand, SHSOL enhanced bacterivores and fungivores only at Pi in Trial I. Weeds were suppressed by SH, SOL and SHSOL throughout the experiment. SHSOL suppressed R. reniformis and enhanced free-living nematodes better than SOL, and suppressed weeds better than SH.     

Living on a volcano's edge: genetic isolation of an extremophile terrestrial metazoan

Communities of organisms inhabiting extreme terrestrial environments provide a unique opportunity to study evolutionary forces that drive population structure and genetic diversity under the combined challenges posed by multiple geogenic stressors. High abundance of an invasive pantropical earthworm (and the absence of indigenous lumbricid species) in the Furnas geothermal field (Sao Miguel Island, Azores) indicates its remarkable tolerance to high soil temperature, exceptionally high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels, and elevated metal bioavailability, conditions which are lethal for the majority of terrestrial metazoans. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers were used to analyze the relationship between populations living inside and outside the geothermal field. Results showed that Pontoscolex corethrurus (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Glossoscolecidae) to be a genetically heterogeneous complex within the Sao Miguel landscape and is probably differentiated into cryptic species. The population exposed to the hostile soil conditions within the volcanic caldera possesses the lowest within-population mitochondrial diversity but an unexpectedly high degree of nuclear variability with several loci evidencing positive selection, parameters indicative of a genetically unique population only distantly related to conspecifics living outside the caldera. In conclusion, P. corethrurus inhabiting active volcanic soil is a discrete extremophile population that has evolved by tolerating a mixture of non-anthropogenic chemical and physical stressors.     

Understanding the germination of bulbils from an ecological perspective: a case study on Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya)

Background and Aims

Bulbils serve as a means of vegetative reproduction and of dispersal for many plants; this latter aspect making them analogous to seeds. However, germination of bulbils may differ considerably from seeds due to dissimilar anatomical structures and perhaps environmental cue perception. The few laboratory studies done on bulbils suggest that their germination is similar to that of seeds in the same habitats and to vegetative buds of winter-dormant plants. The present study is the first to examine how bulbil germination is controlled in nature in relation to dispersal (before vs. after winter of the same cohort) and to ambient temperatures.

Methods

Under laboratory conditions, temperature and light requirements for root and shoot emergences from bulbils of Dioscorea polystachya collected in September, 2005, February, 2006 (produced in 2005) and July, 2006 were determined. Effects of cold stratification and dry storage for releasing dormancy were tested on September and July bulbils. The phenology of dormancy release and of root and shoot emergences and the persistence of bulbils in soil were followed over time under field conditions.

Key Results

Although a low percentage of bulbils collected in July or in September produced roots, but no shoots, in the laboratory and field, these roots died within approx. 1 month. Regardless of collection date, cold stratification markedly increased root and shoot emergences. Bulbils sown outdoors in October produced roots and shoots the following March and April, respectively. The soil bulbil bank is short lived.

Conclusions

Bulbils of D. polystachya are similar to seeds of many temperate plants being mostly dormant when dispersed in summer or autumn and overcoming dormancy with cold stratification during winter. Adaptively, bulbil germination primarily occurs in spring at the beginning of a favourable period for survivorship and growth.     

Use of Nematodes as Biomonitors of Nonfumigant Nematicide Movement through Field Soil

Three field experiments were established in a loamy sand soil in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina to determine downward movement of aldicarb and fenamiphos with a nematode bioassay. Penetration of bioassay plant roots by Meloidogyne incognita was measured at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after treatment in the greenhouse as a means of determining nematicide effectiveness. Chemical movement was similar in planted and fallow soil. Nematicidal activity was greater in soil collected from the 0 to 10 cm depth than from the 10 to 20 cm depth. Fenamiphos suppressed host penetration by the nematode more than aldicarb under the high rainfall (19 cm) and low soil temperatures that occurred soon after application in the spring. During the summer, which had 13 cm precipitation and warmer soil temperatures, both chemicals performed equally well at the 0 to 10 cm depth. At the lower soil level (10 to 20 cm), aldicarb limited nematode penetration of host roots more quickly than fenamiphos. Both of these chemicals moved readily in the sandy soil in concentrations sufficient to control M. incognita. Although some variability was encountered in similar experiments, nematodes such as M. incognita have considerable potential as biomonitors of nematicide movement in soil.     

Field and laboratory studies reveal interacting effects of stream oxygenation and warming on aquatic ectotherms

Aquatic ecological responses to climatic warming are complicated by interactions between thermal effects and other environmental stressors such as organic pollution and hypoxia. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated how oxygen limitation can set heat tolerance for some aquatic ectotherms, but only at unrealistic lethal temperatures and without field data to assess whether oxygen shortages might also underlie sublethal warming effects. Here, we test whether oxygen availability affects both lethal and nonlethal impacts of warming on two widespread Eurasian mayflies, Ephemera danica, Müller 1764 and Serratella ignita (Poda 1761). Mayfly nymphs are often a dominant component of the invertebrate assemblage in streams, and play a vital role in aquatic and riparian food webs. In the laboratory, lethal impacts of warming were assessed under three oxygen conditions. In the field, effects of oxygen availability on nonlethal impacts of warming were assessed from mayfly occurrence in 42 293 UK stream samples where water temperature and biochemical oxygen demand were measured. Oxygen limitation affected both lethal and sublethal impacts of warming in each species. Hypoxia lowered lethal limits by 5.5 °C (±2.13) and 8.2 °C (±0.62) for E. danica and S. ignita respectively. Field data confirmed the importance of oxygen limitation in warmer waters; poor oxygenation drastically reduced site occupancy, and reductions were especially pronounced under warm water conditions. Consequently, poor oxygenation lowered optimal stream temperatures for both species. The broad concordance shown here between laboratory results and extensive field data suggests that oxygen limitation not only impairs survival at thermal extremes but also restricts species abundance in the field at temperatures well below upper lethal limits. Stream oxygenation could thus control the vulnerability of aquatic ectotherms to global warming. Improving water oxygenation and reducing pollution can provide key facets of climate change adaptation for running waters.     

Effect of Temperature on Expression of Resistance to Meloidogyne spp. In Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The effect of soil temperature on the expression of resistance in several common bean lines carrying resistance to root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) was studied under controlled temperatures in temperature tank and growth chamber conditions. Resistance to M. javanica and M. incognita race 1 in bean lines A315, A328, A445, G1805, and G2618 was stable at 24-30 C. However, there was a significant increase in reproduction of M. javanica on A315, A328, and A445 when temperature was increased from 26 to 30 C. This increase did not reflect a change from a resistant to a susceptible reaction or classification. Resistance in A315 is derived from G1805, whereas resistance in A328 and A445 is derived from G2618. Alabama No. 1, PI 165426, and PI 165435, with resistance to M. incognita race 2, were heat stressed at temperatures above 27 C. Resistance to M. incognita race 2 in Alabama No. 1 and PI 165435 was lost at 30 C, but PI 165426 supported low reproduction of M. incognita race 2 at all temperatures. Poor root development at 30 C may have been responsible, in part, for the poor development of M. incognita race 2 on PI 165426.     

Viability of VA-mycorrhizal fungi following soil solarization and fumigation

Two field experiments were conducted to examine the effect of soil solarization on the survival of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and root colonization of three crops. The experiments were carried out in a loamy sand soil (Rehovot) and a silty soil (Bet She'an Valley). For both experiments, assessment of indigenous AM fungal populations by the most probable number (MPN) method indicated that populations were reduced to zero after 2 or 4 weeks of solarization treatment. However, Glomus intraradices inoculum applied to the soil prior to solarization remained viable even after 8 weeks of solarization. After soil fumigation with methyl bromide both indigenous and applied AM fungi were nondetectable. Percentage root colonization by the indigenous AM fungal populations, together with plant-growth parameters, were assessed for three crops: onion and wheat (Rehovot), and carrot (Bet She'an). When sown on solarized field plots, onion and carrot seedlings showed a plant growth retardation, whereas wheat showed an increased growth response. Root colonization by indigenous AM fungi was not evident until 6 weeks after seedling emergence. Fumigation with methyl bromide reduced root colonization by indigenous AM populations, and reduced onion and wheat plant development at early growth stages. In a laboratory experiment, a temperature of 45° C for up to 24 h did not affect AM spore viability, indicating that temperatures reached during the solarization treatment cannot solely account for the reduced AM fungi viability in the field. Apparently, soil solarization temporarily delays root colonization by indigenous AM fungi until 6-8 weeks after plant emergence.     

Evaluation of Paecilomyces lilacinus as a Biocontrol Agent of Meloidogyne javanica on Tobacco

The efficacy of the nematode parasite Paecilomyces lilacinus, alone and in combination with phenamiphos and ethoprop, for controlling the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica on tobacco and the ability of this fungus to colonize in soil under field conditions were evaluated for 2 years in microplots. Combinations and individual treatments of the fungus grown on autoclaved wheat seed, M. javanica eggs (76,000 per plot), and nematicides were applied to specified microplots at the time of transplanting tobacco the first year. Vetch was planted as a winter cover crop, and the fungus and nematicides were applied again the second year to specified plots at transplanting time. The fungus did not control the nematode in either year of these experiments. The average root-gall index (0 = no visible galls and 5 = > 100 galls per root system) ranged from 2.7 to 3.9 the first year and from 4.3 to 5.0 the second in nematode-infested plots treated with nematicides. Plants with M. javanica alone or in combination with P. lilacinus had galling indices of 5.0 both years; the latter produced lower yields than all other treatments during both years of the study. Nevertheless, the average soil population densities of P. lilacinus remained high, ranging from 1.2 to 1.3 × 106 propagules/g soil 1 week after the initial inoculation and from 1.6 to 2.3 × 104 propagules/g soil at harvest the second year. At harvest the second year the density of fungal propagules was greatest at the depth of inoculation, 15 cm, and rapidly decreased below this level.     

High temperatures limit plant growth but hasten flowering in root chicory (Cichorium intybus) independently of vernalisation

An increase in mean and extreme summer temperatures is expected as a consequence of climate changes and this might have an impact on plant development in numerous species. Root chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a major crop in northern Europe, and it is cultivated as a source of inulin. This polysaccharide is stored in the tap root during the first growing season when the plant grows as a leafy rosette, whereas bolting and flowering occur in the second year after winter vernalisation. The impact of heat stress on plant phenology, water status, photosynthesis-related parameters, and inulin content was studied in the field and under controlled phytotron conditions. In the field, plants of the Crescendo cultivar were cultivated under a closed plastic-panelled greenhouse to investigate heat-stress conditions, while the control plants were shielded with a similar, but open, structure. In the phytotrons, the Crescendo and Fredonia cultivars were exposed to high temperatures (35 °C day/28 °C night) and compared to control conditions (17 °C) over 10 weeks. In the field, heat reduced the root weight, the inulin content of the root and its degree of polymerisation in non-bolting plants. Flowering was observed in 12% of the heat stressed plants during the first growing season in the field. In the phytotron, the heat stress increased the total number of leaves per plant, but reduced the mean leaf area. Photosynthesis efficiency was increased in these plants, whereas osmotic potential was decreased. High temperature was also found to induced flowering of up to 50% of these plants, especially for the Fredonia cultivar. In conclusion, high temperatures induced a reduction in the growth of root chicory, although photosynthesis is not affected. Flowering was also induced, which indicates that high temperatures can partly substitute for the vernalisation requirement for the flowering of root chicory.     

Black scurf of potato

Black scurf of Potato is a serious disease commonly observed in most potato-producing areas of the world. Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 (teleomorph Thanatephorus cucumeris [Frank] Donk), this disease is favoured by the capacity of fungus to survive in soil as sclerotia and mycelium in plant debris for long periods, and environmental conditions of low soil temperature and high soil moisture. Management of the disease requires an integrated approach since no single tactic is totally effective. An effective control program combines cultural practices, fungicides, biological control, and solarization.     

The role of mineral nutrients in the increased growth response of tomato plants in solarized soil

Soil solarization is a non-chemical disinfestation technique that frequently promotes plant growth in the absence of known major pathogens, a phenomenon termed increased growth response (IGR). The effect of solarization on plant nutrients and their role in the IGR was studied with tomato plants grown in solarized or non-solarized (control) sandy soil, under controlled conditions. Solarization considerably increased the soil concentrations of water extractable N, K, Ca, Mg and Na at most sites, whereas Cl and DTPA extractable Mn, Zn, Fe and Cu were decreased by the treatment. Plant growth and specific leaf area were enhanced in solarized as well as in N-supplemented control soil. In tomato plants grown in solarized soil, concentrations of most nutrients in the xylem sap, including N, were increased compared to the control, whereas Cl and SO4 levels decreased. The most significant increase in leaf nutrient concentration caused by soil solarization was recorded for N. Furthermore, leaf N concentration was highly and positively correlated with shoot growth. The concentration of Cu increased in leaves from the solarization vs. the control treatment, whereas that of SO4 and Cl decreased, the latter presumably below the critical toxicity level. The correlation between shoot growth and leaf concentration was positive for Cu and inverse for Cl and SO4. In conclusion, we found that soil solarization significantly affects nutrient composition in tomato plants, and provided strong evidence that N, and eventually also Cl, play a major role in IGR.     

Biological Control of the Phytoparasitic Nematode Mesocriconema xenoplax on Peach Trees

Seven fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. capable of inhibiting reproduction of Mesocriconema xenoplax have been isolated from soil sites that suppress both nematode multiplication and Peach Tree Short Life (PTSL). One of these seven strains, Pseudomonas sp. BG33R, inhibits M. xenoplax multiplication in vivo and egg hatch in vitro. Mesocriconema xenoplax populations on peach seedlings inoculated with BG33R and planted into soil-solarized field plots remained at or below the economic threshold for nematicide treatment in South Carolina for nearly 18 months. Soil solarization alone induced a shift toward a microbial community that was suppressive to nematode multiplication. Additionally, five Tn5 mutants of BG33R, lacking the ability to kill eggs, have been generated. The Tn5 insertion site in each mutant has been cloned and sequenced. DNA sequence analysis has revealed a high degree of homology to several genes of interest because of their potential involvement in the production of the egg-kill factor. These Tn5 egg-kill negative mutants also no longer produce protease or salicylic acid while producing nearly twice the amount of fluorescent siderophore as the wild type parent.     

Acquisition of thermotolerance in bay scallops, Argopecten irradians irradians, via differential induction of heat shock proteins

Many cells and organisms are rendered transiently resistant to lethal heat shock by short exposure to sublethal temperatures. This induced thermotolerance is thought to be related to increased amounts of heat shock proteins (HSPs) which, as molecular chaperones, protect cells from stress-induced damage. As part of a study on bivalve stress and thermotolerance, work was undertaken to examine the effects of sublethal heat shock on stress tolerance of juveniles of the northern bay scallop, Argopecten irradians irradians, in association with changes in the levels of cytoplasmic HSP70 and 40. Juvenile bay scallops heat-shocked at a sublethal temperature of 32 °C survived an otherwise lethal heat treatment at 35 °C for at least 7 days. As determined by ELISA, acquisition of induced thermotolerance closely paralleled HSP70 accumulation, whereas HSP40 accrual appeared less closely associated with thermotolerance. Quantification of scallop HSPs following lethal heat treatment, with or without conditioning, suggested a causal role for HSP70 in stress tolerance, with HSP40 contributing to a lesser, but significant extent. Overall, this study demonstrated that sublethal heat shock promotes survival of A. irradians irradians juveniles upon thermal stress and the results support the hypothesis that HSPs have a role in this induced thermotolerance. Exploitation of the induced thermotolerance response shows promise as a means to improve survival of bay scallops in commercial culture.     

Population Density and Spatial Pattern of Heterodera glycines in Relation to Soybean Phenology

Population dynamics of Heterodera glycines (SCN) were influenced by initial nematode population density in soil, soybean root growth pattern, soil type, and environmental conditions in two field experiments. Low initial populations (Pi) of SCN increased more rapidly during the growing season than high Pi and resulted in greater numbers of nematodes at harvest. Egg and juvenile (J2) populations increased within 2-6 weeks after planting when early-season soil temperatures were 20 C and above and were delayed by soil temperatures of 17 C or below in May and early June. Frequencies of occurrence and number of nematodes decreased with increasing depth and distance from center of the soybean row. Spatial pattern of SCN paralleled that of soybean roots. Higher clay content in the subsoil 30-45 cm deep in one field restricted soil penetration by roots, indirectly influencing vertical distribution of SCN. Shoot dry weight was a good indicator of the effect of SCN on seed yield. Root dry weight was poorly correlated with soybean growth and yield. The relationship of yield (seed weight) to Pi was best described by a quadratic equation at one site, but did not fit any regression model tested at the second site.