[GoDawgs]

Perhaps the last nematode update. This morning I’ve been copying off my own and other various responses on this thread so that I have them. Somewhere this fall I read something about brassicas, specifically broccoli, having an effect on nematode populations.

If you do an internet search for “brassica nematode resistance” there is a good study entitled “The Potential of Five Winter-grown Crops to Reduce Root-knot Nematode Damage and Increase Yield of Tomato”, dated June 2010.

The Abstract from that paper:

“Broccoli (Brassica oleracea), carrot (Daucus carota), marigold (Tagetes patula), nematode-resistant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) were grown for three years during the winter in a root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) infested field in Southern California. Each year in the spring, the tops of all crops were shredded and incorporated in the soil. Amendment with poultry litter was included as a sub-treatment. The soil was then covered with clear plastic for six weeks and M. incognita-susceptible tomato was grown during the summer season. Plastic tarping raised the average soil temperature at 13 cm depth by 7°C.The different winter-grown crops or the poultry litter did not affect M. incognita soil population levels. However, root galling on summer tomato was reduced by 36%, and tomato yields increased by 19% after incorporating broccoli compared to the fallow control. This crop also produced the highest amount of biomass of the five winter-grown crops. Over the three-year trial period, poultry litter increased tomato yields, but did not affect root galling caused by M. incognita. We conclude that cultivation followed by soil incorporation of broccoli reduced M. incognita damage to tomato. This effect is possibly due to delaying or preventing a portion of the nematodes to reach the host roots. We also observed that M. incognita populations did not increase under a host crop during the cool season when soil temperatures remained low (< 18°C).”

So this spring when the fall/winter brassicas are done I will chop up the plants and turn them under.

I’ve left some beds fallow all summer and fall and will plant them again this spring. I will plant susceptible sweet peas in a bed that had brassicas in it this spring (not chopped and incoprporated though), was fallow all summer and currently has fall scallions planted down the sides. Potatoes will go into the adjacent bed which has been basically vacant since this May. Summer squash will go into a bed that had healthy zinnias in it all of this year. We’ll see how the fallow approach works.

If anyone has any updates about things they’ve tried this fall or any new tips they’ve found, please post them before we go dark!

I just want to say it’s been so great to be part of the “heads together” approach y’all have contributed to and thank you all for your inputs. I will miss this site tremendously.