Suggestions for management
- Monitor crops for symptoms of infestation.
- Nematicides and fumigants will provide some control, however they are broad spectrum and kill many of the beneficial organisms in the soil. It is important to rotate management strategies and minimise chemical usage to reduce biodegradation. Available chemicals reduce but do not eliminate plant-parasitic nematodes. Check with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for registered chemicals.
- Rotate cash crops with more resistant crops such as grasses (for example, Concord ryegrass, Katambora Rhodes grass and Jumbo sorghum) or cereals (for example, Swan and Saia oats) or weed-free fallow to lower root-knot nematode numbers.
- It is important to know which plant parasitic nematodes are present, as break crops which reduce root-knot nematode numbers may increase root-lesion nematodes.
- Avoid planting susceptible varieties in paddocks known to be infested with high numbers of root-knot nematodes. Many pasture legumes such as clovers, subclovers and field peas are highly susceptible and may increase root-knot nematode numbers.
- Practise good farm hygiene.
- Plant winter crops after soils have cooled and remove them before soils warm to limit the number of nematode generations.
- Plant summer crops as early as possible to delay infection until after the plants are established.
- Remove potato crops from the ground as soon as possible to limit nematode damage.