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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 6173

Ioannis O. Giannakou, Dimitrios G. Karpouzas, and Demetra Prophetou-Athanasiadou; A novel non-chemical nematicide for the control of root-knot nematodes. Applied Soil Ecology 26:69-79, 2004

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The efficacy of a novel bio-nematicide based on a strain of Bacillus firmus was investigated in a series of field and laboratory studies. The efficacy of this bio-nematicide was compared with standard fumigant nematicides and the bio-control agent Pasteuria penetrans. The impact of the application of this bio-nematicide on the size and activity of the soil microflora was also tested by measuring ninhydrin reactive N and FDA hydrolytic activity, respectively. The bio-nematicide was applied as powder at three dose levels 50, 70 and 90 g walking m-1 and incorporated into the top 0-20 cm of soil, which was naturally infected with Meloidogyne spp. In field studies, 1,3-dichloropropene and dazomet + sodium tetrathiocarbonate applications were generally superior to the bio-nematicide treatment. However, the recommended dose of the bio-nematicide (70 g walking m-1) significantly suppressed the numbers of second stage juveniles at the end of the cropping season in comparison with 1,3-dichloropropene. The broadcast application of the bio-nematicide was more efficient than the banded application, regardless of the dose levels, and as efficient as the oxamyl + sodium tetrathiocarbonate combined application for the control of root-knot nematodes. In pot-experiments, the bio-nematicide was generally more efficient in controlling root-knot nematodes than the bio-control agent P. penetrans. Application of the bio-nematicide increased both the size and the activity of the soil microbial biomass, especially at the higher dose rates of 70 and 90 g walking m-1. This was probably due mainly to the stimulation of the indigenous soil microflora caused by the addition of animal and plant extracts contained in the bio-nematicide formulation and partly to the added spores of B. firmus. Overall, the result indicate that the novel bio-nematicide offers a satisfactory and environmentally friendly solution for the control of root-knot nematodes.