Abstract
Mulching with plant organic matter has been shown to reduce nematode population densities in various cropping systems. The level of nematode control is increased when such mulches are incorporated into the soil as organic amendments. Chromolaena odorata, Tithonia diversifolia and Pueraria phaseoloides are common cover crops in West and Central Africa that produce large quantities of nutrient rich biomass. The aim of this study was to determine, if in-situ mulching of C. odorata, T. diversifolia and P. phaseoloides is suitable for nematode control in Musa production. In a pot trial, the susceptibility of these plants to spiral nematodes was investigated. The effects of different quantities of surface mulch on nematode population densities in the soil and in banana roots also were determined. All mulch types and all quantities led to a reduction in nematode population densities in the soil. The strongest nematode reductions were observed in the Pueraria treatments. In treatments containing banana plants mulching improved plant growth compared to the clean-fallowed soil and induced lower root infestation rates. However, nematode soil populations were higher in mulched than in non-mulched banana treatments. Plant parasitic nematodes also were isolated from roots of all three cover crop species and all three plants caused an increase in nematode numbers in the soil. Therefore, the tested cover crops proved unsuitable for nematode control in a system with the highly susceptible bananas. Further examinations are needed to determine whether or not the positive effects of surface mulching on plantain plant growth and root infestation rates also have positive effects on yield in an in-situ mulching system in the presence of nematodes.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Every mulch type and quantity reduced soil nematode population density.
- Treatment
- All mulch types and all quantitiese0
- Outcome
- nematode population densities in the soile0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“All mulch types and all quantities led to a reduction in nematode population densities in the soil.”
Claim · model-written summary
Pueraria treatments had the strongest nematode reduction.
PuerariaOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The strongest nematode reductions were observed in the Pueraria treatments.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching improved banana plant growth relative to clean-fallowed soil.
Verbatim
e0“In treatments containing banana plants mulching improved plant growth compared to the clean-fallowed soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching lowered root infestation rates in banana treatments.
Verbatim
e0“In treatments containing banana plants mulching improved plant growth compared to the clean-fallowed soil and induced lower root infestation rates.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulched banana treatments had higher soil nematode populations than non-mulched treatments.
Verbatim
e0“nematode soil populations were higher in mulched than in non-mulched banana treatments.”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant-parasitic nematodes were isolated from roots of all three cover crops.
Verbatim
e0“Plant parasitic nematodes also were isolated from roots of all three cover crop species”
Claim · model-written summary
All three cover crops increased soil nematode numbers.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0
- Outcome
- nematode numbers in the soile0
- Direction
- increasee0
Verbatim
e0“all three plants caused an increase in nematode numbers in the soil.”
Claim · model-written summary
The tested cover crops were unsuitable for nematode control with highly susceptible bananas.
Verbatim
e0“the tested cover crops proved unsuitable for nematode control in a system with the highly susceptible bananas.”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · pest · MusaPositive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →mulching · growth · MusaPositive and negative results
7 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
5 papers more in this group
See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.