NEMATlClDE EXPERIMENTS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SUGAR INDUSTRY: 1971/72 By R. H. G. HARRIS South African Sugar Association Experiment Station

Excellent growth responses were achieved by treating a sugarcane plant crop with the following nematicides: Di-Trapex, EDB, aldicarb, a combination treatment of EDB and aldicarb and a combination treatment of soil and foliar applied oxamyl. Fairly satisfactory responses were obtained when using oxamyl as a foliar spray only, and as a soil treatment only, and as a foliar treatment in combination with soil applied methomyl. Only a small growth response was measured when the crop was treated with phenamiphos. There was no response to treatment with metmercapturon or prophos. Aldicarb applied to ratooning sugarcane caused satisfactory growth responses. EDB, aldicarb and 'D-D' applied to a plant crop produced residual responses in a first ratoon crop. Rates of aldicarb ranging from 0,7 to 5,6 kg active ingredient per hectare produced large growth responses. Plant-parasitic nematodes found in these experiments were Xiphinema, Longidorus, Trichodorus, Criconemoides, Dolichodorus, Rotylenchulus, Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Tylenchorhynchus and Hoplolaims.