89 % reduction of a potato cyst nematode population using biological control and rotation

A major issue of potato cultivation in temperate zones is the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis. Population density of G. rostochiensis is high in Mexican potato fields. Control currently consists of the inefficient application of high doses of chemical nematicides. We evaluated the population density of G. rostochiensis in potato production plots in central Veracruz, Mexico. Plots were treated with the biocontrol agent Paecilomyces sp. and rotation with two different leguminous crop plants, Pisum sativum and Vicia faba. A random block experimental design was used with four different treatments over two crop cycles: (1) biological control with crop rotation, (2) crop rotation only, (3) biological control applied to soil left in fallow, and (4) soil left in fallow only. We measured the number and content of cysts, and the number of J2 juveniles of G. rostochiensis in the soil. We then estimated the infestation level in soil and the multiplication rate (Pf/Pi). The number of free-living nematodes was also quantified. Results show that the highest mitigation of G. rostochiensis was observed for the biological control rotation, with 89.2 % reduction, and for the biological control fallow treatments with 84.4 % reduction. In rotation plots, infestation level decreased by 30.7 %. In the biological control rotation and biological control fallow treatments, the Pf/Pi was 0.1 and 0.15, respectively. The highest Pf/Pi of 0.93 was found in the fallow plots. The biological control agent did not significantly affect the free-living nematode populations. In this study, the nematophagous fungus Paecilomyces sp. was used for the first time to efficiently reduce the population of G. rostochiensis in two crop cycles.