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Nematode Pests of Sugarcane

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Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century

Abstract

Sugarcane in South Africa hosts more than 90 species of 28 genera of plant-parasitic nematodes. The more common include Helicotylenchus dihystera, Pratylenchus zeae, Xiphinema elongatum and, on sandy soils, Meloidogyne javanica. Root damage caused by nematodes reduces the number and length of cane stalks and yield of sucrose. Nematodes cause an estimated 9 % loss of production. Crop loss is reduced by using nematicides and nematode-tolerant cultivars. Helicotylenchus dihystera seemingly mitigates the pathogenicity of other plant-feeding nematodes and is associated with higher-yielding crops. Management practices that favour H. dihystera should provide a sustainable means of reducing the effect of more pathogenic species.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Dr Mariette Marais of the Nematology Unit, Biosystematics Division, Agricultural Research Council–Plant Protection Research Institute is thanked for the use of data from the South African Plant-Parasitic Nematode Survey (SAPPNS) database; E-mail: maraism@arc.agric.za.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. BASF Corporation, 26 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, 27709, USA

    Shaun D. Berry

  2. Les Martins, 42640, St Forgeux Lespinasse, France

    Patrice Cadet

  3. 170 Edmonds Road, Glenwood, Durban, 4001, South Africa

    Vaughan W. Spaull

Authors
  1. Shaun D. Berry
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  2. Patrice Cadet
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  3. Vaughan W. Spaull
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Correspondence to Vaughan W. Spaull .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. North-West University Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Hendrika Fourie

  2. Durban, South Africa

    Vaughan W. Spaull

  3. Robin Jones Nematological Services, Murrayfield, Pretoria, South Africa

    Robin K. Jones

  4. Agricultural Research Council-Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Mbombela, South Africa

    Mieke S. Daneel

  5. Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement Department of Biosystems, University of Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium

    Dirk De Waele

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Berry, S.D., Cadet, P., Spaull, V.W. (2017). Nematode Pests of Sugarcane. In: Fourie, H., Spaull, V., Jones, R., Daneel, M., De Waele, D. (eds) Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44210-5_11

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