Efficacy of Copper-Based Texel Fabric in Preventing Root Escape from Pots and Improving Nematode Resistance Screening of Sugarcane Accession Lines in a Glasshouse

Abstract

Plant-parasitic nematodes are major constraints in the production of sugarcane in Australia. Sugar Research Australia commenced a program to screen sugarcane germplasm accessions and commercial cultivars for nematode resistance in a glasshouse under a subirrigation system. Although the subirrigation system provided reasonable growth of sugarcane plants and significantly reduced the use of irrigation water in the glasshouse, it created a few issues. Sugarcane roots escaped through the bottom of the pots and created networks of roots under the fabrics used in the subirrigation system. This made it difficult to reduce cross contamination among the treatment pots and also facilitated nematodes to migrate outside of the pots. This research was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of two types of Texel fabrics (Tex-R commercial products) in mitigating sugarcane root escape from pots as well as impact on nematode population in the pots. Very few or no roots escaped from the pots placed on both types of Texel fabrics compared with other treatment methods, in which prolific root escape was evident at the bottom of the pots, forming a network of roots on or under the fabrics. Nematode numbers in pots placed on Texel fabrics were significantly higher (approximately 50,000 nematodes per pot) compared with other treatment methods (30,000 to 41,000 nematodes per pot). This research demonstrated that Texel fabrics were effective in stopping sugarcane root escape and preventing nematode migration from pots. This study also indicated that the nematode population inside the pots was not adversely impacted by the use of Texel fabrics.