2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Gallic, or root, nematode is very harmful to the roots of growing crops. On the roots attacked by pests, galls are gradually formed - it is this feature that has determined the name of the harmful parasites. All the thickenings formed on the roots are initially painted in yellow tones, but after some time they turn brown. The development of root-knot nematodes takes about a month, and each of them is capable of producing up to six generations a year. If you do not fight these dangerous pests, then they can fill the entire site in the shortest possible time
Meet the pest
Gall nematode is a very dangerous roundworm that grows up to one to two centimeters in length. The body length of worm-like males on average ranges from one to one and a half centimeters, and females characterized by a pear-shaped shape are usually slightly larger.
The eggs of gall nematodes are distinguished by a bizarre kidney-shaped shape and, like the larvae, overwinter on the roots of damaged vegetation. Making their way deep into the roots, harmful larvae form there galls - characteristic swellings, the size of which can vary from 3 to 5 mm. As a result of such destructive activity of gall nematodes, some of the roots begin to rot, and the growth of plants attacked by gluttonous parasites is noticeably delayed.
The best conditions for the spread of harmful parasites are created when soil moisture is 50-60% and at an air temperature of eighteen to twenty-four degrees. In the south, root-knot nematodes actively damage tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and watermelons with melons growing in open ground. At the same time, they prefer to live on one type of crops, and only when these crops finally die, these garden enemies move to other crops.
At first, plants attacked by voracious villains show symptoms of moisture and various nutrient deficiencies. They begin to look depressed, the leaves gradually curl, and the plants themselves grow very poorly or do not grow at all. Also, a lot of filamentous roots are formed on them (summer residents often call them "root beard") - this is due to the fact that the roots located below the galls stop developing and quickly die off.
It is possible to identify the presence of root nematodes only if the roots are exposed, so you will have to dig up the plants a little. If the unpleasant suspicions were confirmed, and the growing crops really attacked the rootworm nematodes, it is, alas, almost impossible to save them.
It is also important to know that on the roots of some plants there are characteristic thickenings in the form of small bulbs, which accumulate moisture and nutrients. As a rule, they differ in an oblong shape and are painted in the same shades as the roots. These are completely natural formations that have nothing to do with harmful root nematodes - thickenings formed by pests are always colored either brownish or yellowish.
How to fight
The main preventive measures against root gall nematodes are observance of fruit change, weed control and soil disinfection with chloropicrin or carbon disulfide. And in greenhouses with greenhouses, the soil is often disinfected with steam (for three hours at a temperature of 100 degrees). In addition, in winter, the soil is often frozen.
With the onset of summer, indoor plants are recommended to be taken out into the fresh air more often - the more ultraviolet they receive, the more resistant they will be to defeat by evil nematodes.
If nematodes still attacked plants, then in the future they cannot be used for reproduction (and in a vegetative way as well). And the layer of infected soil must be changed to a healthy one (by the way, this is about half a meter).
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