Seasonal Fluctuations of Globodera tabacum solanacearum as Estimated by Two Soil Extraction Techniques

Two soil extraction methods were compared to determine their efficiency in recovering cysts and juveniles of a tobacco cyst nematode, Globodera tabacum solanacearum. The methods were equally efficient when extracting nematodes from soil samples seeded in the laboratory; however, there was a significant extraction method × month interaction when the methods were used to estimate field soil populations over 2 years. The centrifugal sugar flotation method recovered greater numbers of cysts when densities were near 400 cysts/100 cm³ soil and greater numbers of juveniles in all samples. The sugar flotation method recovered greater numbers of cysts during months when densities were less than 400 cysts/100 cm³ soil. Numbers of cysts and juveniles were lowest in June and July following land tillage in May. A soil freeze in January 1982 may have been responsible for unusually high numbers of recovered cysts in February and March 1982, a pattern that did not occur in 1983.     

Distribution and Population Dynamics of Nematodes in a Rice Field and Pasture in India

Ecological studies on soil nematodes were made in a tropical rice field and pasture. Parasitic species were more diversified in the pasture than in the rice field. Eighty-six and sixty percent of total nematodes occurred in the top 10 cm in rice field and pasture, respectively. Nematodes were not randomly or uniformly dispersed but aggregated. Parasitic forms were most abundant and correlated with root biomass in the 0-15-cm soil layer, the greatest number usually occurring at the 10-15-cm depth at both sites. In summer, however, they were densest at the 15-30-cm depth. Microbivores were most frequent in the top 5 cm of both sites. Micellaneous feeders (food sources uncertain) usually occurred in highest densities at the 15-30-cm depth. Predators showed no distinct depth preference. Temperature and moisture of the soil apparently played an important role in regulating nematode population. Peak densities of 31.3 × 10⁴/m² and 21.6 × 10⁴/m² at a 30-cm depth occurred in January, while minimum densities of 5.0-5.3 × 10⁴/m² and 4.1 × 10⁴/m² occurred in July-October and April in rice field and pasture, respectively. Monthly mean biomass of nematodes was 23.8 ± 4.5 mg/m² in rice field and 11.5 ± 1.5 mg/m² in pasture.     

Leaching Soluble Salts Increases Population Densities of Tylenchulus semipenetrans

The effect of salinity on population densities of Tylenchulus semipenetrans was measured on 3-month-old salt-tolerant Rangpur lime growing on either loamy sand, sand, or organic mix and on 4-month-old salt-sensitive Sweet lime in organic mix. Salinity treatments were initiated by watering daily with 25 mol/m³ NaCl + 3.3 mol/m³ CaCl₂ for 3 days and every other day with 50 mol/m³ NaC1 + 6.6 mol/m³ CaC1₂ for one week, with no salt (NS) treatments as controls. Salinity was discontinued in one treatment (DS) by leaching with tap water prior to inoculation with nematodes, whereas the continuous salinity (CS) treatment remained unchanged. Overall, in Rangpur lime organic soil supported the highest population densities of T. semipenetrans, followed by loamy sand and sand. The DS treatment resulted in the highest (P ≤ 0.05) mean population densities of T. semipenetrans in the three soil types. Similarly, the DS treatment in Sweet lime resulted in the highest (P ≤ 0.05) nematode populations. The DS treatment predisposed citrus to nematode infection through accumulated salt stress, whereas leaching soluble salt in soil solution offered nematodes a suitable nonosmotic habitat. Nematode females under the DS treatment also had the highest (P ≤ 0.05) fecundity.     

Comparative Response of Alfalfa to Pratylenchus penetrans Populations

Four populations of Pratylenchus penetrans did not differ (P > 0.05) in their virulence or reproductive capability on Lahontan alfalfa. There was a negative relationship (r = -0 .7 9 ) between plant survival and nematode inocula densities at 26 ± 3 C in the greenhouse. All plants survived at an inoculum level (Pi) of 1 nematode/cm³ soil, whereas survival rates were 50 to 55% at 20 nematodes/cm³ soil. Alfalfa shoot and root weights were negatively correlated (r = - 0.87; P < 0.05) with nematode inoculum densities. Plant shoot weight reductions ranged from 13 % at Pi 1 nematode/cm³ soil to 69% for Pi 20 nematodes/cm³ soil, whereas root weight reductions ranged from 17% for Pi 1 nematode/cm³ soil to 75% for Pi 20 nematodes/cm³ soil. Maximum and minimum nematode reproduction (Pf/Pi) for the P. penetrans populations were 26.7 and 6.2 for Pi 1 and 20 nematodes/cm³ soil, respectively. There were negative correlations between nematode inoculum densities and plant survival (r = 0.84), and soil temperature and plant survival (r = -0 .7 8 ). Nematode reproduction was positively correlated to root weight (r = 0.89).     

Pathological Effects of Pratylenchus neglectus on Wheatgrasses

In controlled greenhouse and growth chamber studies, Pratylenchus neglectus reduced dry shoot and dry root weight of rangeland grasses. Greenar intermediate wheatgrass and Secar Snake River wheatgrass were more susceptible to P. neglectus than Hycrest crested wheatgrass, Fairway crested wheatgrass, and Nordan crested wheatgrass at a greenhouse bench temperature of 26 ± 3 C. Hycrest was the most tolerant to parasitism by P. neglectus. An initial nematode inoculum density of four nematodes/cm³ soil reduced dry shoot weights of Hycrest, Fairway, Nordan, Greenar, and Secar by 22%, 33%, 36%, 47%, and 49%, and reduced dry root weights by 26%, 31%, 32%, 38%, and 42%. There was a positive relationship between dry root weight, the nematode inoculum density, and the nematode reproduction index (final nematode population/initial nematode inoculum). However, there were more nematodes/g root tissue on Secar than on the crested wheatgrasses, and significantly more nematodes/g root tissue on Greenar, Fairway, and Nordan than on Hycrest. Pratylenchus neglectus was most pathogenic at four nematodes/cm³ soil at 30 C and least pathogenic at one nematode/cm³ soil at 15 C. Greenar and Secar were more susceptible to the nematode than Hycrest, Fairway, and Nordan at two and four nematodes/cm³ soil at 20 to 30 C. The nematode reproductive indices were greatest at 30 C and were positively correlated with dry root weight. Secar supported the most and Hycrest had the fewest nematodes/g root.     

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.     

Extraction of nematodes from Dry Valley Antarctic soils

Nematode density and taxonomic composition from Dry Valley soil processed by the sugar centrifugation (SC) method in Antarctica was compared to those extracted from soils shipped frozen to the USA and processed by either the SC or Baermann Funnel (BF) (at 5°C and 10°C) techniques. Soil selected for the extraction comparisons represented a wide range of soil properties found in the Dry Valleys. More nematodes were recovered from freshly collected Antarctic soil and from stored frozen soil using the SC technique than from BF at either temperature (P<0.05). Temperature had no effect on nematode densities extracted by the BF. Scottnema lindsayae was the most abundant species recovered by all extraction methods, but recovery was significantly lower from stored soils. Thus, nematodes can be extracted qualitatively following frozen storage using SC, but quantitative studies of nematode populations should be based on soils extracted following field sampling.     

Nematode Indicators of Organic Enrichment

The organisms of the soil food web, dependent on resources from plants or on amendment from other sources, respond characteristically to enrichment of their environment by organic matter. Primary consumers of the incoming substrate, including bacteria, fungi, plant-feeding nematodes, annelids, and some microarthropods, are entry-level indicators of enrichment. However, the quantification of abundance and biomass of this diverse group, as an indicator of resource status, requires a plethora of extraction and assessment techniques. Soluble organic compounds are absorbed by bacteria and fungi, while fungi also degrade more recalcitrant sources. These organisms are potential indicators of the nature of incoming substrate, but current methods of biomass determination do not reliably indicate their community composition. Guilds of nematodes that feed on bacteria (e.g., Rhabditidae, Panagrolaimidae) and fungi (e.g., Aphelenchidae, Aphelenchoididae) are responsive to changes in abundance of their food. Through direct herbivory, plant-feeding nematodes (e.g., many species of Tylenchina) also contribute to food web resources. Thus, analysis of the nematode community of a single sample provides indication of carbon flow through an important herbivore channel and through channels mediated by bacteria and fungi. Some nematode guilds are more responsive than others to resource enrichment. Generally, those bacterivores with short lifecycles and high reproductive potential (e.g., Rhabditidae) most closely mirror the bloom of bacteria or respond most rapidly to active plant growth. The feeding habits of some groups remain unclear. For example, nematodes of the Tylenchidae may constitute 30% or more of the individuals in a soil sample; further study is necessary to determine which resource channels they portray and the appropriate level of taxonomic resolution for this group. A graphic representation of the relative biomass of bacterivorous, fungivorous, and herbivorous nematodes provides a useful tool for assessing the importance of the bacterial, fungal, and plant resource channels in an extant food web.     

Quantification of the slug parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita from soil samples using real time qPCR

Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is a nematode parasite that infects and kills several species of slugs. The nematode is produced commercially as a biological control agent for slug pests of agriculture and horticulture. Given the difficulties of distinguishing this species from other nematode species in soil samples, very little is known about its natural ecology or its behaviour and persistence following application for biological control. Here we describe a method to quantify P. hermaphrodita in soil samples based on real time PCR. We designed primers and a dual labelled fluorescent probe that can be used to quantify numbers of P. hermaphrodita and which is capable of distinguishing this species from the morphologically identical Phasmarhabditis neopapillosa. We compared different methods whereby the entire nematode community is extracted prior to DNA extraction, and three methods to extract DNA directly from soil samples. Both nematode extraction and DNA extraction from large (10 g) samples of soil gave reliable estimates of nematode numbers, but methods which extracted DNA from small (1 g or less) soil samples substantially underestimated numbers. However, direct extraction of DNA from soils may overestimate numbers of live nematodes as DNA from dead nematodes was found to persist in soil for at least 6 days. The technique could be modified for detection and quantification of all soil borne parasitic nematodes.     

Parasitism of Neoaplectana dutkyi in White-fringed Beetle Larvae

A larval population of the white-fringed beetle, Graphognathus peregrinus (Buchanan), in a Louisiana grassland field was reduced 38% by Neoaplectana dutkyi Jackson (''DD-136'' nematode) applied at 430,000 nematodes per m². In Mississippi an artificial population was reduced 50% by the nematode applied at 538,000 per m².     

Nematode Community Structure in a Vineyard Soil

Distribution of the nematode community in a California vineyard was studied over a 13-month period. Omnivorous and microbivorous nematodes were similarly distributed in the root zone, with greatest densities occurring between vine rows and near the soil surface. Greatest densities of plant-parasitic nematodes were found in the vine row, with the individual species differing in their vertical distribution. Total nematode biomass was greatest between rows near the surface. Biomass of plant parasites was greatest in the upper 30 cm of soil in the row, whereas biomass of microbivores was greatest in this region between rows. Of the plant-parasitic nematodes, the variability in distribution among vines was greatest for Paratylenchus hamatus and least for Meloidogyne spp.     

Effect of Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Soil Atmosphere on Tylenchorhynchus spp.

Short-chain fatty acids can be produced under anaerobic conditions by fermentative soil microbes and have nematicidal properties. We evaluated the effects of butyric and propionic acids on death and recovery of stunt nematodes (Tylenchorhynchus spp.), a common parasite of turfgrass. Nematodes in a sand-soil mix (80:20) were treated with butyric or propionic acid and incubated under air or N₂ for 7 days at 25 °C. Amendment of soil with 0.1 and 1.0 µmol (8.8 and 88 µg) butyric acid/g soil or 1.0 µmol (74 µg) propionic acid/g soil resulted in the death of all nematodes. The composition of the soil atmosphere had no effect on the nematicidal activity of the acids. Addition of hydrochloric acid to adjust soil pH to 4.4 and 3.5 resulted in nematode mortality relative to controls (41% to 86%) but to a lesser degree than short-chain fatty acids at the same pH. Nematodes did not recover after a 28-day period following addition of 10 µmol butyric acid/g soil under air or N₂. Carbon mineralization decreased during this period, whereas levels of inorganic N and microbial biomass-N remained constant. Short-chain fatty acids appear to be effective in killing Tylenchorhynchus spp. independent of atmospheric composition. Nematode mortality appears to be a function of the type and concentration of fatty acid and soil pH.     

Effects of Crop Residue on the Persistence of Steinernema carpocapsae

We determined the effects of crop residue on the persistence of an entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae. During 2 consecutive years, nematodes were applied at rates of 2.5 × 10₄ and 1.0 × 10⁵ infective juveniles/m² to small field plots planted with corn. Nematode persistence was monitored by exposing Galleria mellonella larvae to soil samples from plots with and without crop residue (approximately 75% coverage of soybean stubble). Persistence of S. carpocapsae was significantly greater in crop residue plots than in plots without residue. In crop residue plots that received the higher rate of nematode application, larval mortality did not significantly decrease during the study period (3 to 5 days) and remained above 85%. In nematode-treated plots without crop residue, however, larval mortality fell from over 96% to below 11% and 35% in the first and second trials, respectively. The increased crop residue may have benefited nematode persistence through protection from desiccation or ultraviolet light. We conclude that increased ground cover in cropping systems (e.g., due to reduced tillage) may lead to increased insect pest suppression with entomopathogenic nematodes.     

Nematode Community Structure in Dogwood,Maple, and Peach Nurseries in Tennessee

Nursery blocks (48 dogwood, 27 maple, 17 peach) in 20 middle Tennessee nurseries were sampled for nematodes in March,July, and October 1981. Dogwoods and maples were grouped in three age classes: 1-2, 3-5, and 10+ years. Nematodes were extracted from soil samples, counted, and assigned to trophic groups as follows: plant parasites, microbivores, fungivores, predators, and omnivores (= Dorylaimida). Total nematode numbers per 200 cm s soil ranged from 52 to 9,166 (mean = 1,785 ± 1,420). Nematodes were more abundant in dogwood and maple than in peach blocks, and their numbers were significantly correlated with percentage of weed ground cover and number of weed species. Nematode numbers in dogwood sites were also correlated with dogwood age. Microbivores were the most abundant trophic group in all sites, followed by plant parasites, fungivores, omnivores, and predators. Nematode communities in nursery sites shared characteristics of both undisturbed and agricultural habitats. Degree and diversity of plant ground cover appeared to be the most important factors determining nematode community structure.     

Nematode communities indicate diverse soil functioning across a fog gradient in the Namib Desert gravel plains

Soil nematodes are fundamentally aquatic animals, requiring water to move, feed, and reproduce. Nonetheless, they are ubiquitous in desert soils because they can enter an anhydrobiotic state that allows them to persist when water is biologically unavailable. In the hyper‐arid Namib Desert of Namibia, rain is rare, but fog routinely moves inland from the coast and supports plant and animal life. Very little is understood about how this fog may affect soil organisms. We investigated the role of fog moisture in the ecology of free‐living, soil nematodes across an 87‐km fog gradient in the gravel plains of the Namib Desert. We found that nematodes emerged from anhydrobiosis and became active during a fog event, suggesting that they can utilize fog moisture to survive. Nematode abundance did not differ significantly across the fog gradient and was similar under shrubs and in interplant spaces. Interplant soils harbor biological soil crusts that may sustain nematode communities. As fog declined along the gradient, nematode diversity increased in interplant soils. In areas where fog is rare, sporadic rainfall events can stimulate the germination and growth of desert ephemerals that may have a lasting effect on nematode diversity. In a 30‐day incubation experiment, nematode abundance increased when soils were amended with water and organic matter. However, these responses were not evident in field samples, which show no correlations among nematode abundance, location in the fog gradient, and soil organic matter content. Soil nematodes are found throughout the Namib Desert gravel plains under a variety of conditions. Although shown to be moisture‐ and organic matter‐limited and able to use moisture from the fog for activity, variation in fog frequency and soil organic matter across this unique ecosystem may be biologically irrelevant to soil nematodes in situ.     

Effects and Dynamics of a Nematode Community on Maize

Relationships between nematode density and yield and between final and preplant population levels were examined in small maize plots on sandy soils in north-central Florida. Plant-parasitic nematodes present in the community included Belonolaimus longicaudatus, Criconemella sphaerocephala, Meloidogyne incognita, Paratrichodorus minor, Pratylenchus brachyurus, and a Xiphinema sp. Plant growth--including stand count, grain yield, stalk weight, and size of young plants--often was inversely correlated (P ≤ 0.05) with densities of B. longicaudatus and occasionally with P. brachyurus, but not with densities of other species or with a range of soil variables. More severe losses in grain yields from B. longicaudatus occurred in 1987 than in 1988, although mean preplant nematode densities in February were similar in both years (4.4 vs. 3.9/100 cm³ soil). Final population densities of most nematode species were linearly related (P ≤ 0.05) to densities measured at planting or earlier. These relationships were stronger (higher r²) with the ectoparasites B. longicaudatus and C. sphaerocephala than with the endoparasites M. incognita and P. brachyurus. No significant correlations were found between population densities of different nematode species.     

Food Consumption of the Free-Living Aquatic Nematode Pelodera chitwoodi

A Cartesian diver respirometer was used to measure O₂ uptake and respiratory quotients at 25 C. Respiratory quotients were about 0.70 in starved nematodes, and 0.80 in third-stage and adult nematodes that had fed on bacteria. The energy output as measured by O₂ uptake was inversely related to the concentration of bacteria in the medium, indicating reduction in feeding effort. Feeding bacteria to third-stage nematodes in divers quickly resulted in peak respiration rates averaging 6.4 nl O₂/μg wet weight nematode per hour (QO₂) or six times the endogenous rate. In about 4 hr, the rates fell and then stabilized at a QO₂ of 2.5. Adult males fed bacteria in divers had a peak QO₂ of 2.8 or twice the starved rate. Adult females fed bacteria had a peak QO₂ of 3.7. Starving adult males and third-stage larvae were estimated to lose 2.4% and 1.4%, respectively, of their body weight per day in the form of fat based on the caloric equivalent o f oxygen used and a respiratory quotient of 0.70. The caloric content of the bacteria fed to nematodes in divers was determined. It was then calculated that both third-stage larvae and adult males ingested bacteria equivalent to 4.4 × 10⁻⁵ cal/μg wet weight nematode tissue per hour when feeding. Of the bacterial calories ingested, the larvae used 27% and adults 21% for respiration. It was estimated that males ingested 3.1 × 10⁶ bacteria and females 10 × 10⁶ bacteria during an 8-day life span.     

Relationship Between Paratrichadorus sp. Density, and Growth of Wheat in Pots

The effect of a Paratrichodorus sp. (close to P. tunisiensis) on the growth of wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) was investigated in pots containing different nematode densities and maintained in a growth chamber at 20 C for 40 days. The relation between fresh weight of tops and initial nematode density was according to the equation y = m + (1 - m)z^P⁻T. This suggests a tolerance limit of 1.4 nematodes/cm³ of soil under the conditions of the experiment; taking into account the effect of the great nematode mortality, it is estimated to be between 0.15 and 0.35 nematodes/cm³ soil. Models of the growth of the plants and the multiplication of the nematodes (assuming a constant mortality of the nematodes in the absence of roots) which explain the relation between initial and tinal nematodes densities at initial densities greater than 1 nematode/cm³ soil are described in an appendix. Sections of nematode infested roots showed disorganization of root structure clue to abnormal proliferation of lateral roots. Nematode feeding on the root cap and apical meristem caused cessation of root elongation and induced abnormal production of lateral root primordia.     

Non-Traditional Legumes as Potential Soil Amendments for Nematode Control

Dried ground plant tissues from 20 leguminous species were mixed with Meloidogyne incognita-infested soil at 1, 2 or 2.5, and 5% (w/w) and incubated for 1 week at room temperature (21 to 27°C). Tomato (''Rutgers'') seedlings were transplanted into infested soil to determine nematode viability. Most tissues reduced gall numbers below the non-amended controls. The tissue amendments that were most effective include: Canavalia ensiformis, Crotalaria retusa, Indigofera hirsuta, I. nummularifolia, I. spicata, I. suffruticosa, I. tinctoria, and Tephrosia adunca. Although certain tissues reduced the tomato dry weights, particularly at the higher amendment rates (5%), some tissues resulted in greater dry weights. These non-traditional legumes, known to contain bioactive phytochemicals, may offer considerable promise as soil amendments for control of plant-parasitic nematodes. Not only do these legumes reduce root-knot nematodes but some of them also enhance plant height and dry weight.     

Effect of Meloidogyne incognita and Importance of the Inoculum on the Yield of Eggplant

The relationship between population densities of race 1 of Meloidogyne incognita and yield of eggplant was studied. Microplots were infested with finely chopped nematode-infected pepper roots to give population densities of 0, 0.062, 0.125, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 eggs and juveniles/cm³ soil. Both plant growth and yield were suppressed by the nematode. A tolerance limit of 0.054 eggs and juveniles/cm³ soil and a minimum relative yield of 0.05 at four or more eggs and juveniles/cm³ soil were derived by fitting the data with the equation y = m + (1 - m)z^P⁻T. Maximum nematode reproduction rate was 12,300. Hatch of eggs from egg masses in water or from sodium hypochlorite dissolved egg masses was similar (41% and 39%), but egg viability was significantly greater from egg masses in water (58%) than from sodium hypochlorite dissolved egg masses (12%) after 4 weeks. Greater numbers of nematodes were collected from roots of tomatoes from soil infested with entire egg masses than from tomato roots from soil infested with egg masses dissolved by sodium hypochlorite.