Management and control
To manage this pest, ensure plants have adequate nutrition and water which helps them to cope if their root systems have been compromised.
Using less susceptible crops and varieties, and rotation with resistant break crops or weed-free fallow is a way to decrease nematode numbers. Green manure may also be beneficial.
Pratylenchus penetrans has a wide host range so it is difficult to find resistant alternatives. Plants that are more resistant include Saia oats, marigold, sorghum-Sudan grass or grain and forage pearl millet. Crops known to increase numbers are red clover, cereal rye, chickpea and lupin.
Little research has been done in Australia on rotation crops. Root-knot and root lesion nematodes are often found together and crop susceptibility may be different for each, so it is important to know which nematode species are present. Soil and plant samples can be sent to AGWEST Plant Laboratories for confirmation.
In horticulture, pre-plant nematicides and soil fumigants are widely used but are too costly in broadacre farming. Chemicals do not eradicate plant-parasitic nematodes but may reduce numbers below the level which reduces yield. Rotate control strategies to reduce the effect of biodegradation on chemicals.