Recent Investigations Nematodes

Three experiments on the control of nematodes in sugarcane fields are described and res+ults based on yield responses and nematode numbers are quoted. Meloidogyne practically disappeared when the grass, Erugrostis curvula was grown for three seasons, but increased when tomatoes and beans were groyn. Yield responses to nematocides in the absence of Meloidogyne show that this is not the only nematode concerned. In a second experiment the sugarcane variety N50/211 responded considerably more to treatment with nematocide than did N55/805, suggesting a degree of tolerance in the latter variety. Under the conditions of this experiment chicken litter was ineffective. In a comparison of different nematocides, EDB and DBCP were more effective than Temik or Lannate but this might have been due to the high pH of soil in the experimental