ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE AND COTTON ROOT LENGTH AS AFFECTED

BY METHODS OF CONTROL

Leonardo Vesco Galdi1; Iago Fernandes Santos1; Carlos Felipe dos Santos Cordeiro2;
Rita de Cássia Mazuchelli3; Fábio Rafael Echer4

¹Student of the of Agronomy, Western University of São Paulo - UNOESTE, Presidente

Prudente-SP, leo.galdi@gmail.com
2
Post-graduate in Agronomy, graduate scholarship of FAPESP, Western University of
São Paulo - UNOESTE, Presidente Prudente-SP
3
Professor of Agronomy, Western University of São Paulo – UNOESTE, Presidente
Prudente-SP
4
Professor of Agronomy and Postgraduate Course in Agronomy, Western University of
São Paulo – UNOESTE, Presidente Prudente-SP

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) causes damage of cotton root system, limiting

water and nutrients absorption. Pochonia chlamydosporia is a fungus
parasitizing eggs and females of nematodes, colonizing them and consuming
them completely. The objective was to evaluate effect of nematicides on cotton
nutrition, root growth and RKN control in rizotrons. The experimental design
was a randomized blocks with four replicates and five treatments: control,
cadusafos (8 L ha-1), abamectin (3 ml kg-1 seed), Pochonia chlamydosporia via
seed treatment (ST) (250 g ha-1), P. chlamydosporia via sowing furrow (F) (250
g ha-1). Seed treatment with P. chlamydosporia increased the calcium and iron
leaf contents. Treatments did not affect cotton root growth. RKN number on
cotton roots was higher in the 0-25 cm soil layer, followed by the 25-50 cm
depth and the deeper layer of 50-70 cm in all treatments, but it was higher on
control at 0-25 cm and 25-50 cm depths. P. chlamydosporia via ST had a
reduction of 74% on RKN number in relation to the control. Treatments did not
differ on RKN egg number that was higher in the 0-25 cm depth. RKN number
in the soil in the 0-25 cm layer was higher on cadusafos treatment compared to
P. chlamydosporia treatments. P. chlamydosporia reduced adult nematodes
number in the soil by 50% (ST) and 74% (F) as compared to cadusafos. P.
chlamydosporia (F) reduced the number of eggs in the soil, followed by
abamectin and P. chlamydosporia (ST) at 0-25 cm depth. Reproductive
structures number was 9% higher on plants treated with P. chlamydosporia (F)
compared to the control; and there was no effect of treatments on plant growth
(number of leaves, number of nodes and plant height). Pochonia
chlamydosporia was more efficient in the control of nematodes in the soil,
mainly in the superficial layer.