Battling Rootknot Nematodes - Page 6

GoDawgs · July 10, 2019

I did stop at the feed & seed yesterday to see about alfalfa meal or pellets. The pellets came in a 50 lb bag only, too much for just a trial run. But the meal was 50 cents/lb so I got 5 lbs.

Once I pull the last beans from that newly infected bed, I will begin applying the alfalfa meal to the bed and then plant beans there again in the fall.

b54red · July 11, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

I did stop at the feed & seed yesterday to see about alfalfa meal or pellets. The pellets came in a 50 lb bag only, too much for just a trial run. But the meal was 50 cents/lb so I got 5 lbs.

Once I pull the last beans from that newly infected bed, I will begin applying the alfalfa meal to the bed and then plant beans there again in the fall.

I apply alfalfa pellets to my beds every season in my bed prep stage along with cottonseed meal, compost and chicken manure. Alfalfa is a fairly good long term fertilizer but you need to wait a bit after mixing a fair amount in your bed before planting to give it time to start breaking down. I don't know that it helps much with RKN or not since I have been applying it regularly for at least a decade or more and still have nematodes. I don't think they are as bad as they used to be and maybe the alfalfa is partially responsible for that. If it is then you should just go ahead and buy the big bag of pellets since they are much cheaper usually and they are easier to handle especially on windy days.

Bill

GoDawgs · July 11, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Alfalfa is a fairly good long term fertilizer but you need to wait a bit after mixing a fair amount in your bed before planting to give it time to start breaking down.

Bill

Thanks, Bill. I was going to apply the meal by the weekend and was wanting to resow the beans mid to late September if the soil temp isn't too hot. Do you think that's a long enough interval for breakdown? Also, about how much of the pellets weight-wise do you add to your beds?

Goodloe · July 11, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Thanks, Bill. I was going to apply the meal by the weekend and was wanting to resow the beans mid to late September if the soil temp isn't too hot. Do you think that's a long enough interval for breakdown? Also, about how much of the pellets weight-wise do you add to your beds?

I wondered about the breakdown timeframe, also...if you soak the pellets first, it tuns into "mush". That's what I did last winter. It seemed reasonable to me...

rick9748 · July 11, 2019

Bill
I see what you add "Each Year" have you developed a problem of Excessive nutrients?
My Phosphorus and Calcium are Excessive. About 3 times the normal levels. Clemson U., our state ag. school said to back off all composting and only do Fall, Winter cover crops.
I normally add loads of; grass clippings, Fall, Winter leaves and horse manure.
Excessive nutrients being added.

b54red · July 12, 2019

I have very high amounts of phosphorous, magnesium and calcium. Most of that is due to over use of cow manure which is really high in phosphorous. Alfalfa is mostly a source of slow release nitrogen and organic matter. Much of my soil imbalance is due also to using the recommended amounts of dolomite lime and triple 8 or 10 many years ago. I also had a problem of very high ph from overuse of fresh mushroom compost which was way too basic and so uptake of certain minerals was very poor for years.

Despite the high concentrations of some elements my soil is constantly in need of more nitrogen and potash. Alfalfa pellets and cottonseed meal are both good sources of slow release nitrogen and wood ashes and potassium sulfate help with my potash deficit.

I add between 5 and 10 pounds of cottonseed meal to every 10 ft of raised bed each season fall and spring and about half that amount of alfalfa meal. My results are so good that I am going to continue using them both at this rate until I see some diminishing results which so far I haven't seen. My results if anything are only getting better each year and my worm population continues to thrive.

It only takes a week or two for the alfalfa pellets to start breaking down well and less time than that for the cottenseed meal as long as the beds are wet down or rained on. If I need to plant right away after adding my supplements I just add a bit of high nitrogen quick release fertilizer along with my cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets and wet the bed down really good and then wait a couple of days to plant.

Bill

GoDawgs · July 12, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

I add between 5 and 10 pounds of cottonseed meal to every 10 ft of raised bed each season fall and spring and about half that amount of alfalfa meal...

It only takes a week or two for the alfalfa pellets to start breaking down well and less time than that for the cottenseed meal as long as the beds are wet down or rained on. If I need to plant right away after adding my supplements I just add a bit of high nitrogen quick release fertilizer along with my cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets and wet the bed down really good and then wait a couple of days to plant.

Bill

Thanks for that. I have alfalfa meal so it should be fine to apply now and replant in the fall. if it helps, I'll go ahead and get pellets for use on more beds.

rick9748 · July 13, 2019

Thanks for info. I need some added nitrogen at beginning of every year. Was told my Phosphorus is @ 807 lbs/acre and Ag guy at Clemson stated at that level it could start blocking Calcium uptake. Have had no BDR for years though.
Thanks
again
Rick

GoDawgs · September 24, 2019

I pulled out the last three okra plants yesterday and found totally nematoded roots. There was just a slight hint of 'todes on the previously pulled three plants in late August. Funny though, the slightly affected plants had quit producing while the heavily affected ones kept producing, although at a slower pace. Two of those last three plants were Choppee. A hint of nematode resistance maybe?

That's OK. I have all the okra in the freezer that I want and needed the bed for fall turnips! And will plant Choppee again next spring.

GoDawgs · December 10, 2019

Perhaps the last nematode update. This morning I’ve been copying off my own and other various responses on this thread so that I have them. Somewhere this fall I read something about brassicas, specifically broccoli, having an effect on nematode populations.

If you do an internet search for “brassica nematode resistance” there is a good study entitled “The Potential of Five Winter-grown Crops to Reduce Root-knot Nematode Damage and Increase Yield of Tomato”, dated June 2010.

The Abstract from that paper:

“Broccoli (Brassica oleracea), carrot (Daucus carota), marigold (Tagetes patula), nematode-resistant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) were grown for three years during the winter in a root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) infested field in Southern California. Each year in the spring, the tops of all crops were shredded and incorporated in the soil. Amendment with poultry litter was included as a sub-treatment. The soil was then covered with clear plastic for six weeks and M. incognita-susceptible tomato was grown during the summer season. Plastic tarping raised the average soil temperature at 13 cm depth by 7°C.The different winter-grown crops or the poultry litter did not affect M. incognita soil population levels. However, root galling on summer tomato was reduced by 36%, and tomato yields increased by 19% after incorporating broccoli compared to the fallow control. This crop also produced the highest amount of biomass of the five winter-grown crops. Over the three-year trial period, poultry litter increased tomato yields, but did not affect root galling caused by M. incognita. We conclude that cultivation followed by soil incorporation of broccoli reduced M. incognita damage to tomato. This effect is possibly due to delaying or preventing a portion of the nematodes to reach the host roots. We also observed that M. incognita populations did not increase under a host crop during the cool season when soil temperatures remained low (< 18°C).”

So this spring when the fall/winter brassicas are done I will chop up the plants and turn them under.

I’ve left some beds fallow all summer and fall and will plant them again this spring. I will plant susceptible sweet peas in a bed that had brassicas in it this spring (not chopped and incoprporated though), was fallow all summer and currently has fall scallions planted down the sides. Potatoes will go into the adjacent bed which has been basically vacant since this May. Summer squash will go into a bed that had healthy zinnias in it all of this year. We’ll see how the fallow approach works.

If anyone has any updates about things they’ve tried this fall or any new tips they’ve found, please post them before we go dark!

I just want to say it’s been so great to be part of the “heads together” approach y’all have contributed to and thank you all for your inputs. I will miss this site tremendously.

GoDawgs · December 10, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick9748

Clemson U. told me the active ingredient in this product is a natural repellent of root knot nematodes.Trying this year and will post results in October.
Product; Monterey Nematode Control.
Please post any experience you have had.

Were you able to use this product this year? I'm curious if you had any success.

MsCowpea · December 10, 2019

That is an interesting abstract. I have always been able to successfully grow tomatoes in the ground in raised beds
with no crop rotation for years in S Florida which is a nematode Mecca. I was able to get great yields but always had bad nematode infested roots at the end of the season which I just accepted. I have tried various
Suggestions over the years. The marigold that is recommended was like a woody shrub and hard to incorporate. Univ of Fla. recommends cover crop sun hemp which was a stink bug nursery and I believe
Introduced fusarium. It also , if allowed to get too big, was hard to incorporate. Grew thick and big like sugar cane. Clear plastic solarization was not practical for me . A nematode expert that lectured a class I took didn’t think is was all that helpful anyway unless you doubled layered the plastic with a space between the layers. Mustard, another brassica, has been studied as well.
But the aphids LOVED it and I would never plant again. Broccoli is pest free for me so I should
Give that a try.

I have over the years been convinced that the advice of compost and more compost is the secret in our sandy soils. We compost horse manure and bedding in big quantities sometimes adding alfalfa hay as well. (See Charles Wilber, How To Grow World Record Tomatoes for composting tips)

I also have used chicken litter fertilizer for years so the abstract you site says it helps with yield but not the galling and I didn’t even know it. I took a workshop at Wordens Organic Farm Punta Gorda Fl. They used microstart
60 (chicken litter) which I was able to purchase for years. Can’t get it anymore so I use Black Hen,
Told it was the same thing. Good luck with dealing with the nematodes. Hope you get a decent
Yield in spite of them.

(***My raised beds were put in 18 years ago. I have 3 really large ones , about 15 feet by 15 feet. And 8 smaller ones, no wider than 4 feet and about 10 feet long)

GoDawgs · December 15, 2019

In the ongoing nematode battle I will concentrate on getting more organic matter into the soil but will also continue to look for other suppressive options.

I bought the 5 lbs of alfalfa meal but never got around to using it. I will this next year.

The local feed & weed has a clearance table and on it was:

I've never run across anything about sesame and nematodes before so for just $1.00 it was "buy now, research later." A few searches resulted in one article mentioning sesame oil as a supressant and another highlighted something called Neo-Tec S.O. Perhaps S.O. refers to Sesame Oil.

“Neo-Tec S.O. is derived from extracts of specific cultivars of hybrid sesame plants. The mode of action includes nematoxic or nemastatic effects, anoxic rhizospheres, disruption of nematode taxis to roots, and disruption of male taxis to females.”

Hmmm, "specific cultivars of hybrid sesame plants". Somehow I doubt that my $1.00 purchase fits that. But one other article I found mentioned growing sesame plants and then following them with something that is not nematode resistant. I just might try that.

decherdt · December 16, 2019

Sesame as a/or in a mix for Summer cover crop from a USDA PDF pg_seor4.pdf
Sesame, similar to sunn hemp and sorghum-sudangrass, can successfully reduce root-knot nematode populations in subsequent crops (Sipes and Arakaki, 1997; McSorley, 1999; Rodriguez-Kabana et al., 1988).

GoDawgs · December 18, 2019

Thank you for that, decherdt. I've added it to my buy list for 2020. I will try growing it in beds not scheduled for succession planting.

December 10, 2019	#85
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	One Last Update Perhaps the last nematode update. This morning I’ve been copying off my own and other various responses on this thread so that I have them. Somewhere this fall I read something about brassicas, specifically broccoli, having an effect on nematode populations. If you do an internet search for “brassica nematode resistance” there is a good study entitled “The Potential of Five Winter-grown Crops to Reduce Root-knot Nematode Damage and Increase Yield of Tomato”, dated June 2010. The Abstract from that paper: “Broccoli (Brassica oleracea), carrot (Daucus carota), marigold (Tagetes patula), nematode-resistant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) were grown for three years during the winter in a root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) infested field in Southern California. Each year in the spring, the tops of all crops were shredded and incorporated in the soil. Amendment with poultry litter was included as a sub-treatment. The soil was then covered with clear plastic for six weeks and M. incognita-susceptible tomato was grown during the summer season. Plastic tarping raised the average soil temperature at 13 cm depth by 7°C.The different winter-grown crops or the poultry litter did not affect M. incognita soil population levels. However, root galling on summer tomato was reduced by 36%, and tomato yields increased by 19% after incorporating broccoli compared to the fallow control. This crop also produced the highest amount of biomass of the five winter-grown crops. Over the three-year trial period, poultry litter increased tomato yields, but did not affect root galling caused by M. incognita. We conclude that cultivation followed by soil incorporation of broccoli reduced M. incognita damage to tomato. This effect is possibly due to delaying or preventing a portion of the nematodes to reach the host roots. We also observed that M. incognita populations did not increase under a host crop during the cool season when soil temperatures remained low (< 18°C).” So this spring when the fall/winter brassicas are done I will chop up the plants and turn them under. I’ve left some beds fallow all summer and fall and will plant them again this spring. I will plant susceptible sweet peas in a bed that had brassicas in it this spring (not chopped and incoprporated though), was fallow all summer and currently has fall scallions planted down the sides. Potatoes will go into the adjacent bed which has been basically vacant since this May. Summer squash will go into a bed that had healthy zinnias in it all of this year. We’ll see how the fallow approach works. If anyone has any updates about things they’ve tried this fall or any new tips they’ve found, please post them before we go dark! I just want to say it’s been so great to be part of the “heads together” approach y’all have contributed to and thank you all for your inputs. I will miss this site tremendously. Last edited by GoDawgs; December 10, 2019 at 10:44 AM.

December 10, 2019	#87
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	That is an interesting abstract. I have always been able to successfully grow tomatoes in the ground in raised beds with no crop rotation for years in S Florida which is a nematode Mecca. I was able to get great yields but always had bad nematode infested roots at the end of the season which I just accepted. I have tried various Suggestions over the years. The marigold that is recommended was like a woody shrub and hard to incorporate. Univ of Fla. recommends cover crop sun hemp which was a stink bug nursery and I believe Introduced fusarium. It also , if allowed to get too big, was hard to incorporate. Grew thick and big like sugar cane. Clear plastic solarization was not practical for me . A nematode expert that lectured a class I took didn’t think is was all that helpful anyway unless you doubled layered the plastic with a space between the layers. Mustard, another brassica, has been studied as well. But the aphids LOVED it and I would never plant again. Broccoli is pest free for me so I should Give that a try. I have over the years been convinced that the advice of compost and more compost is the secret in our sandy soils. We compost horse manure and bedding in big quantities sometimes adding alfalfa hay as well. (See Charles Wilber, How To Grow World Record Tomatoes for composting tips) I also have used chicken litter fertilizer for years so the abstract you site says it helps with yield but not the galling and I didn’t even know it. I took a workshop at Wordens Organic Farm Punta Gorda Fl. They used microstart 60 (chicken litter) which I was able to purchase for years. Can’t get it anymore so I use Black Hen, Told it was the same thing. Good luck with dealing with the nematodes. Hope you get a decent Yield in spite of them. (**My raised beds were put in 18 years ago. I have 3 really large ones , about 15 feet by 15 feet. And 8 smaller ones, no wider than 4 feet and about 10 feet long) __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker Last edited by MsCowpea; December 10, 2019 at 11:57 AM. Reason: Correction*

December 16, 2019	#89
decherdt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 329	Sesame as a/or in a mix for Summer cover crop from a USDA PDF pg_seor4.pdf Sesame, similar to sunn hemp and sorghum-sudangrass, can successfully reduce root-knot nematode populations in subsequent crops (Sipes and Arakaki, 1997; McSorley, 1999; Rodriguez-Kabana et al., 1988). __________________ 500 sq ft of raised rows zone 8a

July 10, 2019	#76
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	I did stop at the feed & seed yesterday to see about alfalfa meal or pellets. The pellets came in a 50 lb bag only, too much for just a trial run. But the meal was 50 cents/lb so I got 5 lbs. Once I pull the last beans from that newly infected bed, I will begin applying the alfalfa meal to the bed and then plant beans there again in the fall.

July 11, 2019	#80
rick9748 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: south carolina Posts: 175	Bill I see what you add "Each Year" have you developed a problem of Excessive nutrients? My Phosphorus and Calcium are Excessive. About 3 times the normal levels. Clemson U., our state ag. school said to back off all composting and only do Fall, Winter cover crops. I normally add loads of; grass clippings, Fall, Winter leaves and horse manure. Excessive nutrients being added.

July 12, 2019	#81
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have very high amounts of phosphorous, magnesium and calcium. Most of that is due to over use of cow manure which is really high in phosphorous. Alfalfa is mostly a source of slow release nitrogen and organic matter. Much of my soil imbalance is due also to using the recommended amounts of dolomite lime and triple 8 or 10 many years ago. I also had a problem of very high ph from overuse of fresh mushroom compost which was way too basic and so uptake of certain minerals was very poor for years. Despite the high concentrations of some elements my soil is constantly in need of more nitrogen and potash. Alfalfa pellets and cottonseed meal are both good sources of slow release nitrogen and wood ashes and potassium sulfate help with my potash deficit. I add between 5 and 10 pounds of cottonseed meal to every 10 ft of raised bed each season fall and spring and about half that amount of alfalfa meal. My results are so good that I am going to continue using them both at this rate until I see some diminishing results which so far I haven't seen. My results if anything are only getting better each year and my worm population continues to thrive. It only takes a week or two for the alfalfa pellets to start breaking down well and less time than that for the cottenseed meal as long as the beds are wet down or rained on. If I need to plant right away after adding my supplements I just add a bit of high nitrogen quick release fertilizer along with my cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets and wet the bed down really good and then wait a couple of days to plant. Bill

July 13, 2019	#83
rick9748 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: south carolina Posts: 175	Thanks for info. I need some added nitrogen at beginning of every year. Was told my Phosphorus is @ 807 lbs/acre and Ag guy at Clemson stated at that level it could start blocking Calcium uptake. Have had no BDR for years though. Thanks again Rick

September 24, 2019	#84
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	I pulled out the last three okra plants yesterday and found totally nematoded roots. There was just a slight hint of 'todes on the previously pulled three plants in late August. Funny though, the slightly affected plants had quit producing while the heavily affected ones kept producing, although at a slower pace. Two of those last three plants were Choppee. A hint of nematode resistance maybe? That's OK. I have all the okra in the freezer that I want and needed the bed for fall turnips! And will plant Choppee again next spring.

December 15, 2019	#88
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	In the ongoing nematode battle I will concentrate on getting more organic matter into the soil but will also continue to look for other suppressive options. I bought the 5 lbs of alfalfa meal but never got around to using it. I will this next year. The local feed & weed has a clearance table and on it was: I've never run across anything about sesame and nematodes before so for just $1.00 it was "buy now, research later." A few searches resulted in one article mentioning sesame oil as a supressant and another highlighted something called Neo-Tec S.O. Perhaps S.O. refers to Sesame Oil. “Neo-Tec S.O. is derived from extracts of specific cultivars of hybrid sesame plants. The mode of action includes nematoxic or nemastatic effects, anoxic rhizospheres, disruption of nematode taxis to roots, and disruption of male taxis to females.” Hmmm, "specific cultivars of hybrid sesame plants". Somehow I doubt that my $1.00 purchase fits that. But one other article I found mentioned growing sesame plants and then following them with something that is not nematode resistant. I just might try that.

December 18, 2019	#90
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Thank you for that, decherdt. I've added it to my buy list for 2020. I will try growing it in beds not scheduled for succession planting.