Abstract
The efficacy of different rates of abamectin for the control of root knot nematodes in tobacco soil-based seed beds was evaluated in this study. Different incorporation methods of abamectin in the soil were also evaluated. A combination of 45 ml worked into the soil to a depth of 20 cm using hoes was effective in controlling root knot nematodes. The efficacy was comparable (p = 0.05) to methyl bromide and 1.3 D. The other treatments evaluated did not give control and were comparable to the untreated control. Based on the results, abamectin can be a suitable replacement for methyl bromide for root knot nematode management in the tobacco seedbed. Key words: Abamectin, root knot, nematodes, tobacco
Highlights
To date, tobacco is Zimbabwe’s most valuable agricultural commodity, accounting for about 26% agricultural gross domestic product and 61% of agricultural exports (Kachere, 2012; Gono, 2011)
The efficacy of different rates of abamectin for the control of root knot nematodes in tobacco soil-based seed beds was evaluated in this study
A combination of 45 ml worked into the soil to a depth of 20 cm using hoes was effective in controlling root knot nematodes
Summary
Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s most valuable agricultural commodity, accounting for about 26% agricultural gross domestic product and 61% of agricultural exports (Kachere, 2012; Gono, 2011). Tobacco production is dominated by small scale famers, which resulted in an increase in number of growers from 8,000 to at least 70,000. The increase in number of tobacco growers has seen tobacco as the largest single source of direct foreign currency to a majority of Zimbabweans (Masuka, 2012). Soil or waterborne fungal pathogens and weeds are some of the barriers that stand between the farmer and optimal crop quality and yield (Miller, 2007). Plant parasitic nematodes are widely distributed and cause significant yield losses in wide range of crops (Shaukat et al, 2009). It is difficult to estimate yield suppression caused by plant-pathogenic nematodes because often times, damage is not limited to a single nematode species (Cetintas and Yarba, 2010). Plant species amounting 2000 including almost all cultivated species have been reported susceptible, reducing world production by about 5% and even higher in individual fields (Rehman et al, 2009)
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