Advisory Services for Nematode Pests Operational Guidelines
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Advisory Services for Nematode Pests Operational Guidelines A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation by Graham Stirling, Julie Nicol & Frances Reay, Biological Crop Protection Pty. Ltd. January 2002 RIRDC Publication No 99/41 RIRDC Project No AAN-2A © 1999 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 0 642 57835 4 ISSN 1440-6845 "Advisory Services for Nematode Pests - Operational Guidelines" Publication No. 99/41 Project No. AAN-2A The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of persons consulted. RIRDC shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person who relies in whole or in part on the contents of this report. This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Communications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Researcher Contact Details Dr. Graham Stirling Biological Crop Protection Pty. Ltd. 3601 Moggill Road MOGGILL QLD 4070 Phone: 07 3202 7419 Fax: 07 3202 8033 Email: [email protected] RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 1, AMA House 42 Macquarie Street BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6272 4539 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in January 2002 Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Canprint ii Foreword Plant-parasitic species attack the roots or above-ground parts of most crops and the damage they cause is often so serious that it is impossible to maintain economically viable agriculture without some form of nematode control. Nematicides are used routinely in many horticultural, vegetable and ornamental crops, while integrated management programs involving crop rotation and nematode-resistant varieties are used to control nematodes in some field and pasture crops. Because most farmers, agronomists and crop management consultants have only a basic knowledge of nematodes, they may seek professional help when making decisions about nematode management. Specifically, they will have soil or root samples assayed for nematodes, they will seek advice on whether the nematodes present are likely to cause economic damage and they will require a recommendation on control. Such services are provided by government and commercial laboratories. However, in the absence of an accreditation system for nematological laboratories, the quality of the information available to clients cannot be guaranteed. This book, which has been compiled by members of the Australasian Association of Nematologists, provides general guidelines on how an advisory service for nematodes should operate. It is hoped that these guidelines will help improve the quality of advice on nematode pests available to farmers in Australia and New Zealand. Although the book is mainly written for those who are operating nematode diagnostic services, it will be useful to their clients. It gives some indication of the procedures involved and the issues that should be addressed by those providing professional advice on nematode problems. This report, a new addition to RIRDCs diverse range of over 700 research publications, forms part of our Resilient Agricultural Systems R&D program, which aims to enable agricultural production systems that have sufficient diversity, flexibility and robustness to be resilient and respond to challenges and opportunities. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter Core Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Acknowledgements This book has been prepared by Graham Stirling, Julie Nicol and Frances Reay on behalf of the Australasian Association of Nematologists (AAN). Funding was provided by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). AAN is the professional society for nematologists in Australia and New Zealand and its objectives are to advance the science of nematology and disseminate information about nematodes and their control. Several AAN members, including Dr. R. Brown, Dr. K. Davies, Dr. M. Hodda, Dr. I. Riley, Dr. J. Stanton, Dr. G. Walker and Dr. W. Wouts provided material or made suggestions for the book and their contributions are gratefully acknowledged. About the authors Dr Graham Stirling has a Master’s degree in nematology from the University of Adelaide and a Ph.D in nematology/plant pathology from the University of California at Riverside. He has 28 years experience as a nematologist, having worked with nematode problems on a wide range of crops, including wheat, rice, sugarcane, grapevines, citrus, pineapple, ginger, apple, stonefruit and vegetables. During his career, Dr. Stirling has operated nematode diagnostic services for both the South Australian Department of Agriculture and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. He also has broad experience in integrated nematode management and expertise in the use of nematode monitoring as a management tool. Currently he is Principal Scientist, Biological Crop Protection Pty Ltd, Brisbane. Dr. Julie Nicol was awarded her Ph.D in nematology by the University of Adelaide in 1997. She has worked mainly with nematodes in field crops, where she has experience with sampling and extraction procedures, field population modeling and resistance assaying. She has also been involved in work on plant nematodes in grapevines. Dr. Nicol previously held a lectureship position in the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural-Resource Management at the University of Adelaide and is currently a post-doctoral fellow with CIMMYT in Mexico, where she is working as a root pathologist with the cereal breeding team. Mrs Frances Reay recently retired after working with nematodes for more than 25 years. She graduated from Imperial College in the United Kingdom and was employed as a nematode taxonomist by the University of Adelaide from 1971 to 1993. In the last few years of her career, she undertook taxonomic studies on Antarctic nematodes for North Carolina State University and provided taxonomic expertise to the nematode diagnostic services of the South Australian Research and Development Institute. iv Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................................................iv About the authors.................................................................................................................................................iv Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................vi 1. Nematodes: Important Pests of Crop Plants............................................................................................1 2. Integrated Nematode Management...........................................................................................................9 2.1 Diagnostic and advisory services for nematodes.............................................................................11 2.2 Diagnostic and predictive assays.....................................................................................................12 2.3 Interpreting the results of nematode assays.....................................................................................15 3. Sampling for Nematodes ..........................................................................................................................17 3.1 Sampling considerations..................................................................................................................17 3.2 Sampling procedures.......................................................................................................................18 4. Handling and Storage of Samples ...........................................................................................................21 4.1 Handling and transport ....................................................................................................................21 4.2 Receipt of samples by the laboratory and storage ...........................................................................21 5. Extraction Procedures..............................................................................................................................22 5.1 Extraction of worm-like nematodes from soil.................................................................................22 5.1.1 Extraction trays..................................................................................................................22 5.1.2 Sieving or elutriation followed by centrifugal flotation ....................................................25 5.2 Extraction of nematode cysts from soil ...........................................................................................27 5.3 Extraction of nematodes from plant material ..................................................................................27 5.4 Bioassay procedures ........................................................................................................................29 5.5 Determining