TABLE CONTENTS

Sugar Cane Production and Nematode Management Challenges
Rocha, M.R. (1) & F.S. Oliveira (2)
(1) Escola de Agronomia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Caixa Postal 131, CEP
74001-970, Goiânia, GO; (2) Faculdade de Guaraí, Tocantins, Brazil.
Sugar cane production in Brazil has been expanding rapidly and the projections point to a
100% increase in production over the next 10 years. Each year new areas have been used for
the crop establishment; some of them are infested with nematodes and have poor sandy soil.
As the crop expands to nematode infested areas associated with low fertility soils, the
nematode virulence will be higher and the crop yield will be lower, especially in soils with
low levels of phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. The nematode populations in sugar cane
(Pratylenchus sp. and Meloidogyne sp.) have usually been controlled by the use of
nematicides. Most studies, especially in the Southeast and Northeast of Brazil, where the
sugar cane crop has been traditionally planted for centuries, has shown a high efficiency of
the chemical control on reducing nematode population densities and enhancing the crop
yields. Yield gains, ranging from 8 to 40 tons per hectare, have been reported depending on
the variety planted. The studies in those regions have also found some benefits from the use
of sugar cane filter cake, although there is a lack of information on the actual effect of this
residue on nematodes. In the central part of Brazil, the new frontier for sugar cane
production, the nematode population densities aren’t as high as in the other regions. This
could be the reason why the studies on chemical control have not shown high crop yield
enhancement and the alternative methods of nematode management should be more efficient.
Studies have been carried out in order to test the effect of chemical and some natural
products, such as neem oil (Azadirachta indica) and filter cake, on the nematode populations.
We have also studied the effect of crop rotation on nematode populations and the evaluation
of sugar cane genotypes reaction to M. incognita.
Nematode Management in Tropical Oil and Energy Crops
Talwana, H.A. (1) & P. Timper (2)
(1) Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala,
Uganda; (2) USDA ARS Crop Protection & Management Unit, P.O. Box 748, Tifton, GA, 31793, USA
There is a wide array of oil and prospective energy crops grown in the tropics. Due to time
constraints, we will focus on two oil crops, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and peanut (Arachis
hypogaea), and two tuberous starch crops, cassava (Manihot esculenta) and yam (Dioscorea
spp.). Although primarily grown for cooking oil and as a staple food, these crops have also
been proposed as a feedstock for biofuels. We will discuss the major nematode parasites and
current management practices for each crop, and the implications of their candidature as
biofuel feedstock to their production, nematode infection and damage, and management.
Management of the red ring nematode, Bursaphelenchus cocophilus, in oil palm is primarily
through removal of infested plants and control of the weevil vector. For the remaining crops,
rotation with non-hosts and nematicides can be used to reduce nematode damage. Peanut and
yam are the only crops for which nematode-resistant cultivars are available. Regardless of
whether the crops are used for food or to produce biofuels, we should strive for management
options, such as host-plant resistance, that are effective in reducing nematode populations and
are inexpensive. However, challenges to developing nematode-resistant cultivars are the lack
of genetic variability for resistance in existing germplasm and crop species are that are
plagued by multiple nematode parasites.
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