Occurrence of Meloidogyne sp. and Pratylenchus sp. in conventional and organic coffee systems in Nicaragua

• Herrera, I., T. Bryngelsson and A. Monzon. 2011. Occurrence of Meloidogyne sp. and Pratylenchus sp. in conventional and organic coffee systems in Nicaragua. Nematropica 41: 82-90.Conventional and organic coffee management systems can have a significant impact on soil biota. Plant-parasitic nematodes are important members of the soil biota community and they may be affected by management practices. The main objective of this study was to compare the effect of coffee management systems, shade trees and no shade trees on the population of Meloidogyne sp. and Pratylenchus sp. associated with coffee cultivation in Nicaragua. Five management systems, resulting from the combination of input levels and shade species were evaluated. The management systems were conventional with shade from nitrogen fixer species, conventional with shade from non nitrogen fixer species, conventional with no shade, organic with shade from nitrogen fixer species and organic with shade from non nitrogen fixer species. Soil samples were collected from June 2006 to February 2008, during the rainy and dry seasons. Meloidogyne sp. and Pratylenchus sp. were present in all five managements systems. The population of Meloidogyne sp. was significantly lower in the organic management with shade from non nitrogen fixer species than in conventional management with shade from nitrogen fixer. The population of Meloidogyne sp. in conventional management with no shade (open sun) and organic management with shade from non nitrogen fixer were similar. The population of Pratylenchus sp. was lower than the Meloidogyne sp. population in all five management systems. Higher densities of Pratylenchus were observed in conventional and organic management where non nitrogen fixer shade species were present. Lower densities of Pratylenchus sp. were found in conventional and organic management with shade from nitrogen fixer species, and in conventional management with no shade (open sun). The occurrence of Meloidogyne and Pratylenchus spp. was significantly affected by shade conditions and input levels, with different response from both genera; therefore these factors should be regarded when designing programs for integrated pest management of nematodes in Nicaraguan coffee plantations.

Subject headings

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Jordbruksvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Agricultural Science (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Annan biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Other Biological Topics (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)