Which management practice is commonly used in combination with host-plant resistance to enhance nematode control?

Which management practice is commonly used in combination with host-plant resistance to enhance nematode control?

• A. Crop rotation
• B. Pesticide fumigation
• C. Broadcast irrigation
• D. Mono-cropping

Answer: (A)

Using crop rotation with host-plant resistance works well because rotating crops changes the types of hosts available to nematodes in the soil. When you include non-host crops or crops that are poor hosts in the rotation, nematode populations decline between resistant plantings. That lower pressure helps the resistance in the following crop perform better and stay effective longer, because there’s less selection for nematodes that can overcome that resistance. In contrast, relying solely on chemicals, or choosing farming practices that don’t interrupt the nematodes’ life cycle, won’t provide the same durable suppression. Mono-cropping, by keeping the same host over and over, actually increases nematode pressure and undermines resistance.

Using crop rotation with host-plant resistance works well because rotating crops changes the types of hosts available to nematodes in the soil. When you include non-host crops or crops that are poor hosts in the rotation, nematode populations decline between resistant plantings. That lower pressure helps the resistance in the following crop perform better and stay effective longer, because there’s less selection for nematodes that can overcome that resistance. In contrast, relying solely on chemicals, or choosing farming practices that don’t interrupt the nematodes’ life cycle, won’t provide the same durable suppression. Mono-cropping, by keeping the same host over and over, actually increases nematode pressure and undermines resistance.