Effects of Bahiagrass and Nematicides on Meloidogyne arenaria on Peanut.

A field infested with Meloidogyne arenaria and with a history of peanut yield losses was divided into two equal parts. One-half of the field (bahia site) was planted to bahiagrass in 1986 and maintained through 1987. The other half (peanut site) was planted to soybean in 1986 and peanut in 1987 with hairy vetch planted each fall as a cover crop. In 1988 identical nematicide treatments including 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), aldicarb, and ethoprop were applied to the two sites, and the sites were planted with the peanut cultivar Florunner. At mid-season, population levels of M. arenaria second-stage juveniles in the bahia site were relatively low, compared with those in the peanut site. At harvest, however, population levels were high in both sites. No nematicide treatment increased yields over the untreated control in either site (P </= 0.05). Bahiagrass alone and the combination of bahiagrass and 1,3-D applied broadcast resulted in 6.6-fold and 9.7-fold increases in yield, respectively, over the untreated control in the peanut site. All treatments in the bahia site resulted in increased vegetative growth and yields, compared with the duplicate treatments in the peanut site.