Masters Theses

Date of Award

3-1985

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agricultural Extension

Major Professor

Robert S. Dotson

Committee Members

Ernest C. Bernard, Charles H. Hadden, Cecil E. Carter Jr

Abstract

In Cocke County, Tennessee, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is the third most important cash crop grown. Most fields have an infestation of the southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Past studies have shown that M. incognita reduces yields, predisposes plants to other diseases, and causes otherwise productive land to be of little value for tomato production. This study was undertaken to: (a) determine the best time of year for farmers to sample for the presence of root-knot nematode in tomatoes; (b) determine the effect of some soils on nematode population increase; (c) determine the behavior of root-knot nematode larvae in several soil types during the fall and winter following the growing season.

Five fields, with known nematode infestation, were selected for study. Samples were taken monthly from a ten meter long and six rows wide plot in each field for fourteen months. Sampling began in February 1983 and continued through March 1984. Samples were taken in accordance with procedures outlined in "Nematode Sampling Analysis," Form 664, revised May 1980. A centrifugal flotation method was used for extracting nematode larvae from the soil.

The study found that the best time to sample was immediately after the production season. Some soils appeared to promote root knot nematode larvae population increase, whereas others seemed to suppress increases of the larvae. Larval counts dropped rapidly after the production season, leveled off in early winter, then dropped again in late winter.

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