PHYSICAL AND

CULTURAL METHODS
Of Nematode Management
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PHYSICAL METHODS:
 Solar heat
 Steam

 Hot water treatment

 Irradiation

 Osmotic pressure

 Electricity

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SOLAR HEAT :
 Ploughing of field during hot summer months.
 Mulching of soil

 Soil solarization (Pasteurization)

 Incorporation of poultry litter prior to solarization.

 Bio fumigation using brassica residues.

 Cabbage residues with residues > solarization combined

with methyl bromide.

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STEAM:
 Prototype steam machines, but steaming only for
greenhouse applications.
 2 main types:

Horizontal perforated pipes

Vertical spiked pipes
 Partial sterilization for preparation of seed and potting
composts.
 Ammonifying bacteria released balanced by the use of
base fertilizers..
 Eg: Increase in Mn leads to phytotoxicity…
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HOT WATER TREATMENT :
 Prior to planting ,seed materials dipped in hot water at
50 -55 degree celsius.
 Duration:10 mins

 Eg: Banana corms, bulbs ,tubers ,seeds and roots of

seedlings.

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IRRADIATION :
 Cyst of G. rostochinensis exposed to 20,000 g contained
only dead eggs and at 40,000 g lose its contents.
 Ditylenchus myceliophagus in mushroom compost
exposed to rays inactivate nematodes.
 UV light also kills nematodes,but not feasibly under field
conditions.

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OSMOTIC PRESSURE :

 Feder (1960) reported 100% mortality when sucrose or

dextrose added to nematode infested soil @1 to 5% .
 This method is not practical and economical.

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Some other methods include ,
a. Washing process
b. Seed cleaning
c. Ultrasonics ( Heterodera sp.)

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CULTURAL METHODS:
 Selection of healthy seed material
 Adjusting time of planting
 Fallowing
 Deep summer ploughing
 Manuring
 Flooding
 Trap cropping
 Antagonistic crops

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SELECTION OF HEALTHY SEED
MATERIAL :
 For vegetative means, select vegetative part from
healthy plants ..
 Eg: potato cyst nematode, burrowing ,spiral and lesion
nematodes.
 Nematode free seeds for wheat seed gall and rice white
tip nematode.

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ADJUSTING TIME OF PLANTING :

 Early potatoes and sugarbeets grown in soil during cold

season and escapes cyst nematode damage since
nematodes are not active.

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FALLOWING :
 Leaving the field without cultivation expose nematodes
to sunlight and nematodes die due to starvation without
host plant.
 Not economical method.

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DEEP SUMMER PLOUGHING :

 During summer, infested field is ploughed with disc

plough and exposed to sun ,kills nematodes.
 For vegetable crops, the nursery beds are covered with
polythene sheets enhances temperature by 5 to 10
degree celsius.

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MANURING :

 Raising green manure crops and organic manures

encourages development of predacious nematodes like
Mononchus sp. And other antagonistic microbes
checks parasitic nematodes in field.

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FLOODING :
 Adopted when excess availability of water.
 Under submerged conditions ,kills by asphyxiation.

 Hydrogen sulphide and ammonia released in flooded

conditions to kill nematodes.

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TRAP CROPPING :

 Two crops are grown,one being susceptible.

 Eg: cowpea ,susceptible to root knot nematodes.
 Burnt before the nematodes mature.

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ANTAGONISTIC CROPS :

 Certain crops have chemicals or alkaloids as root

exudates.
 Eg: marigold ,mustard ,etc..
 Marigold – alpha-terthinyl,biethinyl compounds
 Mustard-alkyl isothiocyanate
 Pangola grass -Pyrocatechol
 Grown along with main crops
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REFERENCE:
 Jonathan.E.I, Nematology fundamentals and
applications,Nematology control,Pg:209-213.

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