Patrice Cadet

Detection and quantification of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica), lesion nematode (Pratylenchus zeae) and dagger nematode (Xiphinema elongatum) parasites of sugarcane using real-time PCR

A number of different plant parasitic nematode species are found associated with sugarcane in South Africa. Of these, the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica), the lesion nematode (Pratylenchus zeae) and the dagger nematode (Xiphinema elongatum) are potentially the most damaging pests. Identification and enumeration of the number of these nematodes are necessary for providing advice to farmers as well as studying the effects of various treatments in field and glasshouse trials. We report on the development, use, and extent of specificity of three sets of primers, for M. javanica, P. zeae and X. elongatum, and on tests to detect and quantify the number of these nematodes in soil samples using SYBR Green I dye and real-time PCR technology. Amplicons from the three target species (obtained with their respective primer sets) are discernible in size by gel electrophoresis (380bp for M. javanica, 250bp for P. zeae and 500bp for X. elongatum). Also, these amplicons have characteristic melting temperatures of 83.8 degrees C (M. javanica), 86.6 degrees C (P. zeae) and 86.1 degrees C (X. elongatum). Investigations into multiplex reactions found competition between species with M. javanica competing with P. zeae and X. elongatum. Subsequent single tube (simplex) assays, enabled the construction of calibration curves for each of the three species. These were then used for quantification of the numbers of each of these species in nematode samples extracted from the field, with a high (R2=0.83) and significant positive correlation between real-time PCR and counts performed with microscopy.

The mycorrhizal soil infectivity and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spore communities in soils of different aged fallows in Senegal

This work was carried out to determine the influence of the duration of fallow and of physico-chemical components of soils on the distribution of endomycorrhizal fungal spores and the mycorrhizal soil infectivity. The mycorrhization of indigenous plants from the fallows was examined and it was concluded that, except for Cassia obtusifolia, fungal colonization was poorly developed. No correlation was established between spore populations and duration of fallow or between grazed and fenced areas. The relationships between abundance of mycorrhizal spores and the physico-chemical characteristics of the soils were markedly variable among species of mycorrhizal fungi. The results did not provide evidence of a beneficial effect of increased length of fallowing on mycorrhizal soil infectivity, but they did demonstrated the positive effect of preventing grazing on the re-establishment of vegetation during the fallow period.

Relationships between abiotic and biotic soil properties during fallow periods in the sudanian zone of Senegal

Relationships between soil characteristics, various forms of soil organic matter, microbial biomass and the structure of phytoparasitic nematode populations were investigated in six fallow fields aged from 1 to 26 years in the West African Savanna (WAS) belt in southern Senegal. Soil sampling was performed along two transects in each field. Herbaceous biomass and soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics were studied with principal component analysis (PCA) and the relationships between the parameters were extracted with co-inertia analysis. Soil properties (mainly calcium, magnesium and total carbon contents, and cation exchange capacity) slightly improved in the upper soil layer (0‐5 cm) during the succession of vegetation. In constrast, in the 0‐10 cm soil layer, microbial biomass and total soil organic carbon content showed no clear pattern of change over time, while highest charcoal stocks were found in older fallows where bush fires are frequent. In the 0‐40 cm layer, living root biomass increased and herbaceous biomass decreased through the chronosequence. Evidence is presented here for particular relationships between some of the carbon components and the structure of the nematode community. Pratylenchus and Ditylenchus species were associated with the grass vegetation of the youngest fallows. In contrast Helicotylenchus and Scutellonema were present in old fallows. The multiplication of the latter appeared closely related to the presence of woody fine roots, whereas, that of the former seemed to be favoured by the presence of the coarsest roots of trees. Xiphinema had a higher density in soils with higher bulk density. Microbial biomass was not affected by fallow duration and was not correlated with the abundance of non-phytoparasitic nematodes. These results suggested that the management of crop pests such as nematodes in the soils of the WAS could be exerted through stump protection and tree plantation (improved fallow, agroforestry) during the crop-fallow cycle.

Successional trends in the characteristics of soil nematode communities in cropped and fallow lands in Senegal (Sonkorong)

Soil nematode communities in the 0‐15 cm soil layer are used as indicators for describing the processes of fallow succession in the semi-arid zone of West Africa (Senegal). Abundance of plant feeding nematodes, non-plant feeding nematodes, plant parasite index (PPI), species richness and Shannon evenness of plant parasitic nematodes were measured at five stages of succession: fields, early (1‐3 years), intermediate (8‐10 years), old (18‐20 years) fallows, and forest stage. These nematological indexes were analyzed simultaneously by multivariate analysis to show the indicative properties of nematode communities. Overall, changes in abundance of nematode groups, PPI and diversity, show continuous trends from early fallow to mature stages of the succession; these trends parallel theoretical trends in secondary succession. In addition, soil nematode parameters were meaningful and expressed interactions of various uncontrolled factors with successional processes, such as environmental conditions or cropping history. During the 3 years of the survey, the structure of nematode communities, described by index analysis, showed little temporal change and supported the use of nematodes as stable indicators. ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of plant parasitic nematodes and abiotic soil factors in growth heterogeneity of sugarcane on a sandy soil in South Africa

A feature of many sugarcane fields is the patchy growth. This is often thought to be due to physical or chemical differences in the soil. In this paper we investigate the causes of growth heterogeneity of sugarcane on a sandy soil in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. To identify the factors that were associated with the good and poor areas, soil texture, pH, organic matter content and a number of soil chemical elements and nematode community data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). The numbers of each of the nematode species (Meloidogyne sp., Pratylenchus zeae, Helicotylenchus dihystera, Xiphinema elongatum and Paratrichodorus sp.) were first converted to relative proportions of ectoparasites and endoparasites. The data were collected from the 2nd ratoon crop of a nematicide trial, where half of the plots had been treated with aldicarb in the preceding two crops. Yields of control plots varied from 34.7 to 126.8 t cane ha−1 and from 85.4 to 138.7 for the treated plots. The yield data were centred and normalised separately for the treated and control plots and the values projected on the trial map to study spatial distribution. Plots with above-average yields, whether treated or untreated, occurred in the lower part of the trial site. The PCA factorial values were also projected onto the map of the trial. According to the first factor of the analysis of the abiotic soil characteristics in the 0–20 cm surface layer, the trial site could be divided into two areas, one on the left and one on the right. PCA of the soil data from the 0–20 and 20–40 cm layers showed that there was little or no difference between the two that might explain the two growth areas. However, analysis of the nematode community distinguished two main areas that largely corresponded to the distribution of the plots of low and high yielding cane. Correlation analysis confirmed the relationship between nematodes and yield. H. dihystera was positively correlated with yield of cane whereas the reverse was true for the Meloidogyne species.

Identification of soil factors that relate to plant parasitic nematode communities on tomato and yam in the French West Indies

Abstract A soil and nematode survey of tomato and yam crops was made in Martinique (French West Indies). Each sample was divided into two parts, one for the nematode study and one for the soil analysis. The coupling of the data was made using the coinertia analysis. For tomato plants which were grown from seeds, the nematode–soil relationships were very strong. For the two varieties of yams, Dioscorea cayenensis-rotundata and D. alata , whose infested seed tubers carry nematodes into the field, the relationships were weaker and depended on the yam variety. For D. cayenensis-rotundata , which was attacked by the endemic parasite Pratylenchus coffeae , the relationship between nematode community and soil type was strong. For D. alata , this relationship was weaker because it is mainly parasitised by the exotic species, Scutellonema bradys , which is exclusively introduced into the field with the seed tuber, whatever the soil type. Soil texture was the most important factor explaining the presence of some species. However, Meloidogyne spp. and the ectoparasitic species such as Xiphinema spp. were associated with light andosols; Aorolaimus luci needed, in addition, higher levels of organic matter. P. coffeae preferred any type of soil rich in organic matter and its abundance seemed influenced by calcium and magnesium content or pH. In contrast, P. brachyurus did not appear to be sensitive to any of the measured physico–chemical soil characteristics.

Effect of plant parasitic nematodes on the sustainability of a natural fallow cultural system in the Sudano-Sahelian area in Senegal

Abstract To study the influence of fallow on plant parasitic nematodes and soil fertility, the difference in the growth of millet in a greenhouse was compared in sterilized and naturally infested soil. These soils are ferruginous and were taken from a 17-year-old fallow plot and a neighbouring cultivated field, located in the region of Thysse Kaymor in Senegal. The plant-parasitic nematode community of the previously cultivated soil consisted primarily of two species: an ectoparasite, Tylenchorhynchus gladiolatus , and an endoparasite, Scutellonema cavenessi . The soil from the fallow plot was infested with many species, but under the influence of the millet crop, it evolved towards the two species situation observed in the cultivated soil, except that under the experimental conditions (in pots), Pratylenchus pseudopratensis replaced S. cavenessi . Whether or not the soil was infested with nematodes, the previous fallow period had a positive effect on the development of successive millet crops. The impoverishment of the soil through repeated cultivation and the impact of nematodes both reduced crop growth. The two factors evolved in the same way, that is a decrease in the development rate of the millet as the number of crop cycles increased. The symptoms of soil impoverishment can be corrected, either by suppressing the nematodes or by fallowing.

Nematode community changes and survival rates under natural fallow in the sudano-sahelian area of Senegal

Summary The study was undertaken in the sudano-sahelian region of Senegal, south of the groundnut production area of Senegal. Millet fields, three fallow lands (exploited by the local population), 1, 9 and 18 years old at the beginning of the study, an 18 year-old fallow protected during the preceding 6 years by a fence, and a forest, were studied for 3 years. During the successive dry and rainy seasons soil samples were collected on 17 separate occasions to monitor plant parasitic and free-living nematodes. This study aims, firstly, to analyse the impact of the duration of the fallow on the nematode community, assuming that this management practice is known to be efficient in controlling plant parasitic nematodes, and secondly, if the dominance of certain nematode species in the agro-ecosystems was related to their ability to survive during the long dry season. The abundance of the plant parasitic nematode community did not change over the three-year period, but was greater in the 18–20 year-old fallows than in the younger ones or in the forest. Helicotylenchus dihystera and Scutellonema cavenessi were not affected by the dry season. H. dihystera had the highest survival rate followed by free-living nematodes, S. cavenessi and two species of Tylenchorhynchus. Species such as Xiphinema parasetariae, Aphasmatylenchus variabilis and Criconemella curvata could not be detected in the topsoil during the dry season. Survival rates of S. cavenessi decreased with fallow age (not in the forest) together with its populations, whereas it increased for all other species. The decreasing Tylenchorhynchus gladiolatus population in fallows of increasing age as well as the absence of H. dihystera in the millet fields could not be explained by a serious decrease of the survival rate during the dry season. These results demonstrated that nematodes could be controlled, without eradication, through a cultural strategy, which will favour the multiplication of weak pathogens of plant parasitic nematodes such as H. dihystera.

Effect of fallow improvement on the nematode community in the Sudanian region of Senegal

A 4-year trial was conducted in the Sudanian area of Senegal to study how the manipulation of the plant composition of a natural fallow might increase soil fertility. The influence of fencing combined with stump removal or planting of Andropogon gayanus on the nematode communities was studied. Apart from fencing, all intervention favoured the multiplication of the plant parasitic nematodes for the duration of the trial. Fencing significantly reduced nematode abundance and modified the balance between the species in the community. The population of Scutellonema cavenessi, a serious pest of food crops in the region, was dramatically reduced to the benefit of the weaker pathogen, Helicotylenchus dihystera. Planting Andropogon increased the H. dihystera population slightly. Disappearance of ligneous plant material by stump removal was associated with the greatest increase in the proportion of S. cavenessi. The results suggested that the soil disturbance when planting, removing stumps, or even grazing could affect the nematode community in the topsoil layer, resulting in a decrease in H. dihystera. This species did not recover during a 4-year fallow, even if a suitable situation was promoted through fencing or the planting of Andropogon, a host plant of H. dihystera.

Control and Management of Plant Parasitic Nematode Communities in a Soil Conservation Approach

The nematodes specificities and their interactions with plants are reviewed, considering host plants quality and compatibility. The potentials of nematode resistance and diversity of antagonists and parasitism are discussed, in relation to host specificity and obligate multitrophic relationships. The ecology and management of nematode communities are also reviewed, focusing on soil health approaches and new paradigms for plant protection.