Plant Pathology (1998) 47, 580-585

S. Declerck, S. Laloux, J.L. Sarah and B. Delvaux (1998)
Application of a flowing solution culture technique to study the parasitic fitness of the nematode Radopholus similis on banana plantlets under two different nitrogen nutrient regimes
Plant Pathology 47 (5), 580-585
Abstract: A flowing solution culture technique was used to study the effects of N nutrition on banana root infestation by the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis. Paired groups of banana plants were grown in separate compartments containing coarse sand (2–5 mm diameter). Input nutrient solutions had fixed compositions and identical total N concentrations. The two compartments differed in their NH₄⁺/total N concentrations, one receiving 0% NH₄⁺/total N (100% NO₃^-/total N) and the other 60% NH₄⁺/total N (40% NO₃^-/total N). The compartments were connected by a inverted T-shaped tube containing fine sand (200–250 ?m diameter) through which nematodes were inoculated. The pH and N concentrations of the output solution were determined at regular intervals. The pH of the output solution differed markedly between the two compartments, with values of 6.8 and 3.6 in the 0% and 60% NH₄⁺ compartments, respectively. In the compartment receiving 0% NH₄⁺, the number of nematodes in the roots and the growth of banana plants was significantly higher than in the compartment receiving 60% NH₄⁺. Even though they were more infested by nematodes, banana plants receiving 100% NO₃^- developed better than the less infested plants grown in the medium containing 40% NO₃^-.
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Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Radopholus similis	Banana/plantain (Musa)