Response of Soil Nematode Communities to Zero-Tillage Weed Control Practices
Response of Soil Nematode Communities to Zero-Tillage Weed Control Practices
William K. Heve* and Isaac D. Otabil
ABSTRACT
Fluctuations in abundance of soil nematodes have extensively been used to predict adverse effects of anthropogenic activities on soil biodiversity. The objective of this study was to select the more promising zero-tillage weed control (ZWC) strategy that will have beneficial solutions in addition to sustain soil biodiversity better. Variation in densities of diverse soil nematodes across plots, which were subjected to different ZWC approaches, was assessed and analyzed. Both systemic glyphosate and non-systemic paraquat significantly reduced densities of soil nematodes, similar to the way ‘weeding by zero-tillage’ did. Moreover, treatments involving glyphosate alone, paraquat alone, ‘glyphosate + paraquat’ and ‘weeding by zero-tillage’ significantly suppressed plant parasitic nematodes across plots. Root-knot nematodes (i.e., Meloidogyne spp.) were more suppressed in plots, where each of the four ZWC strategies was applied. However, paraquat alone or ‘glyphosate + paraquat’ in plots significantly reduced densities of Pratylenchus species better than glyphosate alone or ‘weeding, using a cutlass’ could achieve. Considering the suppressed diverse feeding groups of nematodes in plots, none of the ZWC practices showed the likelihood to sustain soil biodiversity. Nonetheless, foliar applications of weedicides on weeds appeared to be beneficial in suppressing more genera of plant root-damaging nematodes than ‘weeding, using a cutlass’ could achieve. Overall, ZWC practices modulated soil nematode communities in the field.
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