Additional Studies on the Use of Bahiagrass for the Management of Root-Knot and Cyst Nematodes in Soybean

The value of a 2-year rotation to Pensacola bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) for management of nematode problems in three subsequent soybean (Glycine max) crops was studied in a field infested with Meloidogyne arenaria and Heterodera glycines. Five soybean cultivars were selected to represent a range of resistance to each species and grown for 3 years following the bahiagrass rotation, with and without aldicarb application at soybean planting. Bahiagrass reduced populations of both nematode species to nearly undetectable levels. The first year following bahiagrass, rotation plots yielded 114% more than monoculture plots and neither host resistance nor nematicide treatment affected yield substantially. In the second and third years, however, there was a marked decline in yield each year and relative benefits of host resistance and nematicide increased.