Soil Nematodes in Terrestrial Ecosystems

There has been much work on plant-feeding nematodes, and less on other soil nematodes, their distribution, abundance, intrinsic properties, and interactions with biotic and abiotic factors. Seasonal variation in nematode fauna as a whole is correlated with factors such as moisture, temperature, and plant growth; at each site nematode distribution generally reflects root distribution. There is a positive correlation between average nematode abundance and primary production as controlled by moisture, temperature, nutrients, etc. Soil nematodes, whether bacterial feeders, fungivores, plant feeders, omnivores, or predators, all influence the populations of the organisms they feed on. Although soil trematodes probably contribute less than 1% to soil respiration they may play an important role in nutrient cycling in the soil through their influence on bacterial growth and plant nutrient availability.     

Suppression Effects on Pineapple Soil-Borne Pathogens by <i>Crotalaria juncea</i>, Dolomitic Lime and Plastic Mulch Cover on MD-2 Hybrid Cultivar

The development and implementation of sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices are indispensable as alternatives to pesticide use and to keep populations of soil-borne plant pathogens at levels that do not affect crop productivity. The present research evaluates the incidence of soil-borne phytopathogens on the pineapple variety MD-2, which was subjected to different treatments: Incorporation of Crotalaria juncea into the soil (organic amendment), application of dolomitic lime to soil (inorganic amendment), and the use of plastic mulch covering the soil. During the crop cycle (15 months), the following variables were evaluated: plant height (cm), fruit weight (kg·plant⁻¹ ), crop yield (ton·ha⁻¹ ), the bud root disease incidence caused by Phytophthora nicotianae, number of soil phytoparasitic nematodes and colony-forming-units (CFUs) of soil fungi and oomycetes. The results indicate that Crotalaria juncea treatment reduced the pathogen population (nematode and oomycetes) at levels that did not affect crop development, so that yield increased (18–20%). The incorporation of C. juncea into the soil as an organic amendment favors the populations of fungi disease suppressors (Trichoderma-Aspergillus). The phytoparasitic nematodes (Meloidogyne sp., Pratylenchus sp., and Mesocriconema sp.) and oomycetes (Phytophthora spp., and Pythium spp.) showed a reduction of their population levels by effects of organic amendment (C. juncea). The plastic mulch was also effective, probably due to the maintenance of optimal condition to crop growth and weed control. However, the dolomitic lime application had the poorest effect under the conditions of the study area on the variables analyzed. The described observations are characteristics of a system-based approach for the potential management of soil-borne pathogens of pineapple MD-2 in Veracruz, México.     

A thorough study of a Paratylenchus sp. in glasshouse‐grown lettuce: Characterisation,population dynamics,host plants and damage threshold as keys to its integrated management

In glasshouses practising monoculture of butterhead lettuce in Belgium, high densities of pin nematodes (Paratylenchus spp.) are frequently associated with reduced plant growth. Growers currently apply chemical soil disinfestation measures to manage this problem, although stricter phytosanitary regulations are forcing a shift towards integrated management. Efficient implementation of such management requires knowledge about the factors influencing nematode population dynamics, and the damage threshold for lettuce. The nematode populations in five Belgian glasshouses were monitored for at least 1 year by frequently soil sampling at 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm depth. An undescribed species of Paratylenchus was identified in all glasshouses based on morphological and molecular features. High nematode densities (>20,000 (100 ml soil)^?1) occurred in winter and spring. Chemical soil disinfestation lowered these populations greatly, although up to 14% survived in the deeper soil layer. After soil steaming under negative pressure, no pin nematodes were found. After 2 months of black fallow pin nematode densities were reduced by 50%–76%. Lamb's lettuce, parsley and wild rocket were found to be poor hosts in a pot experiment, while reproduction factors (P_f/P_i) on lettuce cultivars varied between 1 and 3. In three experiments with butterhead lettuce ‘Cosmopolia’ in pots with a series of 9 or 10 densities of Paratylenchus sp. [up to 35,000 (100 ml soil)^?1], no damage to lettuce heads was observed. However, root weight and root quality were reduced, and the corresponding damage thresholds were rather low [1,754 and 362 Paratylenchus sp. (100 ml soil)^?1, respectively]. Management strategies such as crop rotation, soil disinfestation or fallow are recommended to avoid pin nematode population build‐up.     

氮磷输入对过度放牧退化草原土壤线虫群落的影响

线虫是陆地生态系统中数量最多的一类无脊椎后生动物,在土壤碎屑食物网中占据多个营养级,并在能量流动和养分循环中发挥重要的生态功能.土壤线虫的群落结构和多样性水平可以反映生态系统功能的变化.多年来,过度放牧等不合理的开发利用导致我国大面积的草原处在不同程度的退化之中,外源性养分输入是维持其养分平衡进而恢复其生态和生产功能的重要措施.本研究以内蒙古锡林郭勒退化草原为对象,就氮磷输入对土壤线虫丰度和群落结构的单独效应和交互效应进行了研究.本研究获得线虫38属,其中垫咽属、滑刃属、索努斯属和盾垫属是该退化草原线虫群落优势属.氮输入降低了土壤线虫总丰度、捕食杂食线虫丰度以及植物寄生线虫丰度,而磷输入提高了土壤线虫总丰度、食真菌线虫丰度、捕食杂食类线虫丰度以及植物寄生线虫丰度,氮输入抑制了磷输入对线虫总丰度、捕食杂食线虫和植物寄生线虫丰度的促进作用.氮磷输入对线虫多样性无影响,可能与不同养分输入下稳定的植物群落多样性有关.氮输入显著提升了退化草原线虫成熟度指数,降低了植物寄生线虫成熟度指数(PPI),并且能缓解磷输入对PPI和瓦斯乐斯卡指数的负面作用,表明氮输入提高退化草地土壤健康程度,促进线虫群落和食物网的稳定性.上述研究结果有助于从土壤生物学角度理解氮磷输入对退化草地恢复的影响机理.     

Effects of Cover Cropping, Solarization, and Soil Fumigation on Nematode Communities

Impacts of sustainable soil-borne pest management strategies on the soil ecosystem were compared to that of methyl bromide fumigation using nematode community analysis. A field experiment was conducted in 2003 and repeated in 2004. Soil treatments carried out in summer months included methyl bromide (MB) fumigation, solarization (S) for 6 weeks, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) cover cropping for 3 months (CP), combination of solarization and cowpea cover cropping (S + CP), and a weedy fallow throughout the summer used as a control (C). All treated plots were planted to pepper (Capsicum annuum) after the application of the treatments at the end of the summer. In general, responses of nematode communities to soil treatments were more obvious at pepper planting than at 4 months after planting. In 2003, initial population densities of bacterivores and fungivores at pepper planting followed a hypothesized pattern of MB > S > S + CP > CP > C. However, this perturbation did not persist after a cycle of vigorous growth of a pepper crop. Omnivorous nematodes were the most sensitive nematode trophic group, with impact from soil treatment lasting until the end of the pepper crop. Nematode community indices such as ratio of fungivores to fungivores plus bacterivores, richness, and structure index were especially useful in detecting impacts by the various soil treatments. While disturbance from MB on the nematode communities lasted at least until the end of the pepper crop, that from the solarization often reduced or disappeared at the end of the experiment. The CP treatment enhanced many of the beneficial nematodes but failed to suppress the final population densities of herbivorous nematodes at pepper harvest (Pf). However, CP + S consistently reduced the Pf of herbivores to levels equivalent to MB in both years, whereas, this level of suppression could not be achieved by either CP or solarization alone.     

Do plant parasitic nematodes have differential effects on the productivity of a fast- and a slow-growing grass species?

We have examined the interaction between plant parasitic nematodes and plant species from different stages of grassland succession. In these grasslands, fertiliser application was stopped in order to restore the former nutrient-poor ecosystems. This management resulted in a reversed succession of high- to low-productivity. Nematodes isolated from a high-productive early-successional field and a low-productive late-successional field were inoculated to sterilised soil planted with seedlings of either Lolium perenne (a fast-growing early-successional species) or Festuca rubra (a slow-growing late-successional species). The experiment was performed at low and high supply rates of nutrients. We hypothesised that at a low nutrient supply rate the growth of L. perenne will be more reduced by nematode herbivory than the growth of F. rubra. Furthermore, we hypothesised that higher numbers of plant parasitic nematodes will develop under L. perenne. We found no support for our first hypothesis, because nematodes did not affect plant growth. Our results suggest that changes in the nutrient availability rather than plant parasitic nematodes affect plant succession in impoverished grasslands. On the other hand, plant species and nutrient supply rate significantly affected the density and composition of the plant parasitic nematode community. In line with our second hypothesis, plant parasitic nematodes reproduced better on the fast-growing L. perenne than on the slow-growing F. rubra. Our results, therefore, suggest that the succession of the plant parasitic nematode community is probably more affected by changes in the plant community than the other way round.     

Selective alteration of soil food web components by invasive giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea in two distinct habitat types

Apart from relatively well‐studied aboveground effects, invasive plant species will also impact the soil food web. So far, most research has been focusing on primary decomposers, while studies on effects at higher trophic levels are relatively scarce. Giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea, native to North America, is a widespread and common invasive species in most European countries. We investigated its impact on plant communities and on multiple trophic levels of the soil food web in two contrasting habitats: riparian zones and semi‐natural grasslands. In 30 pairs of invaded and uninvaded plots, floristic composition, pH, fungal biomass and the densities of 11 nematode taxa were determined by using a quantitative PCR‐based method. In the two habitats, the invader outcompeted both rare and dominant plant species. Belowground, S. gigantea invasion reduced pH, increased overall fungal biomass as well as the density of a single lineage of fungivorous nematodes, the family Aphelenchoididae. The densities of two other, phylogenetically distinct lineages of fungivorous nematodes, Aphelenchidae and Diphtherophoridae, were unaffected by the local increase in fungal biomass. Apparently this plant species induces a local asymmetric boost of the fungal community, and only Aphelenchoididae were able to benefit from this invader‐induced change. The alternative explanation – the results are explained by a subtle, S. gigantea‐induced 0.1–0.2 units decrease of pH – seems unlikely, as pH optima for nematode taxa are relatively broad. Thus, apart from readily observable aboveground effects, the invasive plant species S. gigantea affects fungal biomass as well as a specific part of the fungivorous nematode community in a soil type‐independent manner.     

Sustainable Approaches to the Management of Plant-parasitic Nematodes and Disease Complexes

Physical, chemical, and biological factors of soil may reduce damage caused by plant-parasitic nematodes. Suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes is particularly challenging in soils in which there are short crop sequences, sequential susceptible host crops, or infestations of multiple nematode species. In southern Indiana, a watermelon production system involving rotations with soybean and corn does not suppress Meloidogyne incognita, but several aspects of such systems can be modified to reduce nematode damage in an integrated management approach. Cash crops with resistance to M. incognita can be used to reduce population densities of M. incognita. Small grains as cover crops can be replaced by cover crops with resistance to M. incognita or by crops with biofumigation potential. Mycorrhizal fungal inoculations of potting mixes during transplanting production of watermelon seedlings may improve early crop establishment. Other approaches to nematode management utilize soil suppressiveness. One-year rotations of soybean with corn neither reduced the soil-borne complex of sudden death syndrome (SDS) nor improved soybean root health over that in soybean monoculture. Reduced tillage combined with crop rotation may reduce the activity of soil-borne pathogens in some soils. For example in a long-term trial, numbers of Heterodera glycines and severity of foliar SDS symptoms were reduced under minimum tillage. Thus, sustainable management strategies require holistic approaches that consider entire production systems rather than focus on a single crop in its year of production.     

AMF-induced biocontrol against plant parasitic nematodes in Musa sp.: a systemic effect

Although mycorrhizal colonization provides a bioprotectional effect against a broad range of soil-borne pathogens, including plant parasitic nematodes, the commercial use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as biocontrol agents is still in its infancy. One of the main reasons is the poor understanding of the modes of action. Most AMF mode of action studies focused on AMF-bacterial/fungal pathogens. Only few studies so far examined AMF-plant parasitic nematode interactions. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine whether the AMF Glomus intraradices was able to incite systemic resistance in banana plants towards Radopholus similis and Pratylenchus coffeae, two plant parasitic nematodes using a split-root compartmental set-up. The AMF reduced both nematode species by more than 50%, even when the AMF and the plant parasitic nematodes were spatially separated. The results obtained demonstrate for the first time that AMF have the ability to induce systemic resistance against plant parasitic nematodes in a root system.     

Effect of tillage,subsidiary crops and fertilisation on plant‐parasitic nematodes in a range of agro‐environmental conditions within Europe

The overall goal in nematode management is to develop sustainable systems where nematode populations are kept under the economic damage threshold. Conservation tillage and subsidiary crops, applied as cover crops and living mulches, generally improve soil health by increasing soil organic matter content and stimulating soil microbial activity. However, more permanent crop and weed cover associated with subsidiary crops and noninversion tillage, respectively, may benefit plant‐parasitic nematodes with broad host spectra such as Meloidogyne and Pratylenchus. These genera are major constraints to many field crops throughout Europe and there is a need to identify effective and reliable management options that can be applied to avoid excessive infestations. The dynamics of the indigenous fauna of plant‐parasitic nematodes were studied in eight coordinated multi‐environment field experiments (MEEs) under four agro‐environmental conditions in Europe (Continental, Nemoral, Atlantic North and Mediterranean North). The MEEs consisted of a 2‐year sequence of wheat combined with a living mulch or subsequent cover crops and second main crops maize, potatoes or tomatoes depending on site. Additionally, the effects of inversion tillage using the plough were compared with various forms of conservation tillage (no‐tillage, shallow and deep noninversion tillage). Overall, Helicotylenchus, Paratylenchus, Pratylenchus and Tylenchorhynchus were the most frequent genera across sites while Meloidogyne occurred only in Germany at very low densities. During the wheat–maize sequences in Switzerland, the populations of Pratylenchus increased from 63 to 146 nematodes per 100 mL soil and Helicotylenchus from 233 to 632 nematodes per 100 mL soil. The effects of tillage on plant‐parasitic nematodes were generally minor, although no tillage in Italy supported higher densities of Pratylenchus (184 nematodes per 100 mL soil) than inversion tillage (59 nematodes per 100 mL soil). Furthermore, Pratylenchus densities were 160 nematodes per 100 mL soil when leguminous subsidiary crops were grown, 122 nematodes per 100 mL soil in the green fallow and 84 nematodes per 100 mL soil after growing black oat (Avena strigosa) or oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus). The differences were greatest in Italy, in a sandy soil with low organic matter. Application of compost or nitrogen fertiliser had no consistent effects on plant‐parasitic nematodes. We conclude that crop rotations including specific subsidiary crops are prominent factors affecting the indigenous nematode community, while tillage and fertiliser are of lower importance.     

Faecal avoidance and the risk of infection by nematodes in a natural population of reindeer

We tested whether Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) minimise the risk of gastro- intestinal nematode infection by avoiding patches with a high density of faeces. This experiment was performed in preferred summer foraging habitat. The possibility that reindeer assess infection risk on the basis of faecal contamination levels across plant communities was determined by measuring the distribution of faeces in seven plant communities, and nematode developmental success in two plant communities with contrasting soil moisture content. We explored whether variation within individual reindeer in the levels of infection by gastro-intestinal nematodes was related to their diet. Reindeer avoided pastures where faecal contamination was increased, and thereby potentially reduced the risk of becoming infected by Trichostrongyle nematodes. Dung density was inversely related to soil moisture content, with high densities of faeces in dry plant communities and low densities in wet communities. However, nematode developmental success was positively related to soil moisture content, and was highest in the wetter sites. Thus, by avoiding dry areas with high dropping densities, reindeer would tend to feed in wetter areas where nematodes thrive. Therefore, dung density may be an unreliable predictor of the risk of infection. The absence of a strong relationship between an individual’s infection level and its diet might be due to the unpredictability of pasture infection level. Received: 8 July 1999 / Accepted: 20 January 2000     

Nematodes (Longidorus sp. andTylenchorhynchus microphasmis loof) in growth and nodulation of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.)

Summary Hippophaë rhamnoides seedlings were grown in sterilized and unsterilized soil from a decliningH. rhamnoides scrub, to which different numbers ofLongidorus sp. andTylenchorhynchus microphasmis were added. In sterilized and unsterilized soil, retardation of growth, content of dry matter in the shoots, and incidence of deformed short lateral roots of test plants were positively correlated with counts of both nematode species. Nitrogen content in the shoots, nodulation on the roots of test plants and increase increase in nematodes were negatively correlated with the initial number of both nematode species in sterilized soil. In unsterilized soil, an unknown biotic factor was present that reduces growth ofH. rhamnoides, nodulation and multiplication of the nematodes. This factor seems to interact with the nematodes in reducing growth ofH. rhamnoides.Deceased.     

亚低温条件下防控番茄南方根结线虫生防菌株的筛选与鉴定

【目的】筛选亚低温条件下抗线虫和促进植物生长发育的菌株。【方法】采用线虫击倒率测定、室内耐低温测定、拮抗测试和盆栽生物测定相结合的方法进行功能菌株的筛选;采用表型特征、生理生化特征、16S r RNA基因序列测定相结合的多相分类技术对筛选的菌株进行鉴定。【结果】从根结线虫多发的设施黄瓜和番茄病土中分离出细菌和放线菌297株;经对根结线虫击倒率的初步筛选,得到校正击倒率大于70%的活性菌株9株;通过复筛获得1株在亚低温条件下同时具有防线虫、防土传病原菌病、促生特性的生防菌株S205;菌株S205被鉴定为抗生素链霉菌(Streptomyces antibioticus)。【结论】获得一株在亚低温条件下同时具有抗线虫活性和促进植物生长发育的生防菌株S205,该研究对解决亚低温条件下根结线虫的防治具有重要意义。     

Effects of dual inoculation of mycorrhiza and endophytic,rhizospheric or parasitic bacteria on the root-knot nematode disease of tomato

The effects of mycorrhisation and inoculation with soil bacteria on the disease caused by Meloidogyne incognita on tomato were studied in pots under greenhouse conditions. Efficacy in promoting plant growth and reducing disease severity and final nematode densities were evaluated for two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus irregularis), three soil bacteria with different living strategies (the endophyte Bacillus megaterium, a rhizospheric Pseudomonas putida and the hyperparasite of nematodes Pasteuria penetrans) and combinations of the fungi and bacteria. In M. incognita-infested plants, F. mosseae increased tomato growth more than R. irregularis, and plants inoculated with B. megaterium presented higher shoot fresh weight than with P. putida or P. penetrans, but dual inoculation did not improve tomato growth more than single inoculations. Disease severity and final nematode densities were reduced by F. mosseae compared to non-mycorrhizal plants. B. megaterium and P. penetrans reduced both the root galling and the final nematode densities compared to treatments without bacteria. P. penetrans reduced final nematode densities more than B. megaterium or P. putida. Dual inoculation of AMF and P. penetrans showed the highest efficacy in reducing the final nematode densities in tomato.     

Invasive plants and their escape from root herbivory: a worldwide comparison of the root-feeding nematode communities of the dune grass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ammophila arenaria</Emphasis> in natural and introduced ranges

Invasive plants generally have fewer aboveground pathogens and viruses in their introduced range than in their natural range, and they also have fewer pathogens than do similar plant species native to the introduced range. However, although plant abundance is strongly controlled by root herbivores and soil pathogens, there is very little knowledge on how invasive plants escape from belowground enemies. We therefore investigated if the general pattern for aboveground pathogens also applies to root-feeding nematodes and used the natural foredune grass Ammophila arenariaas a model. In the late 1800s, the European A. arenariawas introduced into southeast Australia (Tasmania), New Zealand, South Africa, and the west coast of the USA to be used for sand stabilization. In most of these regions, it has become a threat to native vegetation, because its excessive capacity to stabilize wind-blown sand has changed the geomorphology of coastal dunes. In stable dunes of most introduced regions, A. arenaria is more abundant and persists longer than in stabilized dunes of the natural range. We collected soil and root samples and used additional literature data to quantify the taxon richness of root-feeding nematodes on A.␣arenaria in its natural range and collected samples from the four major regions where it has been introduced. In most introduced regions A. arenaria did not have fewer root-feeding nematode taxa than the average number in its natural range, and native plant species did not have more nematode taxa than the introduced species. However, in the introduced range native plants had more feeding-specialist nematode taxa than A. arenaria and major feeding specialists (the sedentary endoparasitic cyst and root knot nematodes) were not found on A. arenaria in the southern hemisphere. We conclude that invasiveness of A. arenaria correlates with escape from feeding specialist nematodes, so that the pattern of escape from root-feeding nematodes is more alike escape from aboveground insect herbivores than escape from aboveground pathogens and viruses. In the natural range of A. arenaria, the number of specialist-feeding nematode taxa declines towards the margins. Growth experiments are needed to determine the relationship between nematode taxon diversity, abundance, and invasiveness of A. arenaria.     

The Impacts of Above- and Belowground Plant Input on Soil Microbiota: Invasive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina alterniflora</Emphasis> Versus Native <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites australis</Emphasis>

Invasive plants affect soil food webs through various resource inputs including shoot litter, root litter and living root input. The net impact of invasive plants on soil biota has been recognized; however, the relative contributions of different resource input pathways have not been quantified. Through a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial field experiment, a pair of invasive and native plant species (Spartina alterniflora vs. Phragmites australis) was compared to determine the relative impacts of their living roots or shoots and root litter on soil microbial and nematode communities. Living root identity affected bacteria-to-fungi PLFA ratios, abundance of total nematodes, plant-feeding nematodes and omnivorous nematodes. Specifically, the plant-feeding nematodes were 627% less abundant when living roots of invasive S. alterniflora were present than those of native P. australis. Likewise, shoot and root biomass (within soil at 0–10 cm depth) of S. alterniflora was, respectively, 300 and 100% greater than those of P. australis. These findings support the enemy release hypothesis of plant invasion. Root litter identity affected other components of soil microbiota (that is, bacterial-feeding nematodes), which were 34% more abundant in the presence of root litter of P. australis than S. alterniflora. Overall, more variation associated with nematode community structure and function was explained by differences in living roots than root or shoot litter for this pair of plant species sharing a common habitat but contrasting invasion degrees. We conclude that belowground resource input is an important mechanism used by invasive plants to affect ecosystem structure and function.     

Decomposers and root feeders interactively affect plant defence in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sinapis alba</Emphasis>

Aboveground herbivory is well known to change plant growth and defence. In contrast, effects of soil organisms, acting alone or in concert, on allocation patterns are less well understood. We investigated separate and combined effects of the endogeic earthworm species Aporrectodea caliginosa and the root feeding nematode species Pratylenchus penetrans and Meloidogyne incognita on plant responses including growth and defence metabolite concentrations in leaves of white mustard, Sinapis alba. Soil biota had a strong impact on plant traits, with the intensity varying due to species combinations. Nematode infestation reduced shoot biomass and nitrogen concentration but only in the absence of earthworms. Earthworms likely counteracted the negative effects of nematodes. Infestation with the migratory lesion-nematode P. penetrans combined with earthworms led to increased root length. Earthworm biomass increased in the presence of this species, indicating that these nematodes increased the food resources of earthworms—presumably dead and decaying roots. Nitrogen-based defence compounds, i.e. glucosinolates, did not correlate with nitrogen levels. In the presence of earthworms, concentrations of aromatic glucosinolates in leaves were significantly increased. In contrast, infection with P. penetrans strongly decreased concentrations of glucosinolates (up to 81%). Infestation with the sedentary nematode M. incognita induced aromatic glucosinolates by more than 50% but only when earthworms were also present. Myrosinase activities, glucosinolate-hydrolysing enzymes, were unaffected by nematodes but reduced in the presence of earthworms. Our results document that root-feeding nematodes elicit systemic plant responses in defence metabolites, with the responses varying drastically with nematode species of different functional groups. Furthermore, systemic plant responses are also altered by decomposer animals, such as earthworms, challenging the assumption that induction of plant responses including defence traits is restricted to herbivores. Soil animals even interact and modulate the individual effects on plant growth and plant defence, thereby likely also influencing shoot herbivore attack.     

Effect of seaweed concentrate fromEcklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss onMeloidogyne incognita infestation on tomato

Seaweed concentrate (SWC), prepared fromEcklonia maxima, when applied as a soil drench to tomato seedlings, significantly increased plant growth and reduced infestation byMeloidogyne incognita. Foliar applied SWC had little effect on plant growth and increased nematode galling. Ashing SWC reduced the suppressive effect on nematode infestation. In anin vitro experiment, SWC lessened infestation of root-knot nematodes on excised roots of a susceptible cultivar of tomato. Application of the same concentrations of SWC to a nematode-resistant cultivar increased the number of egg masses.     

A review of isothiocyanates biofumigation activity on plant parasitic nematodes

Natural isothiocyanates (ITCs) are toxic to a range of soil-borne pest and pathogens, including nematodes and fungi, and can thus be used as natural fumigants called biofumigants. Glucosinolates, β-thioglucoside N-hydroxysulfates, are secondary metabolites of Brassicales plants, stored in the S-cells vacuoles. Upon plant tissue damage myrosinase (thioglucoside glycohydrolase, EC 3.2.3.1), stored in contiguous cells, hydrolyses glucosinalates to an unstable aglycone that eventually eliminates sulfate group producing a wide range of different volatile isothiocyanates that are extremely toxic to root-knot nematodes. In fact, among synthetic commercial nematicidal formulates we can find isothiocyanates as active ingredients. Conventional nematode control practices have included soil sterilants of great environmental impact, most of which are now banned making mandatory the development of eco-sustainable alternative tools. We reviewed the nematicidal activity of isothiocyanates as components of botanical matrixes in the frame of a holistic nematode control approach encompassing secondary beneficial effects on soil structure and microbiology, beneficial preservation, enhanced residual life of biological activity and plant growth.     

悉生培养微缩体系食细菌线虫提高土壤激素含量的机制

研究土壤食细菌线虫与细菌的相互作用及其生态功能是土壤生态学的核心内容之一。食细菌线虫取食细菌可以促进土壤中氮素的矿化,提高氮素养分的供给,改善土壤的营养条件,从而促进植物的生长发育。土壤食细菌线虫促进植物根系生长的"养分作用机制"已得到确认,而"激素作用机制"还存在争议。从供试土壤中筛选获得一株高效产IAA细菌和两种不同cp值的食细菌线虫,通过设置简化的悉生培养系统,对这两种土著食细菌线虫与土著产IAA细菌之间的相互作用,及其对土壤中IAA含量变化的影响进行研究。结果表明:两种食细菌线虫的取食均能促进细菌数量和活性的增强,食细菌线虫与产IAA细菌相互作用也能显著增加土壤中IAA的含量;这些促进作用受到接种食细菌线虫的种类以及培养时间的影响:在培养第10天和第20天时,接种cp值为1的中杆属食细菌线虫显著增加了产IAA细菌的数量;在培养第10天和第30天时,相比较接种cp值为2的头叶属食细菌线虫,接种中杆属食细菌线虫显著提高了土壤中IAA的含量。