Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
Non Technical Summary
Plant-parasitic nematodes cause billionsof dollars of crop loss each year, andinFlorida especiallythey are one of the most devastatingpests in vegetableand strawberry production.Warm weather combined with plentyof rain,sandy soils and year-round crops provide an ideal habitat for these ubiquitous microscopic soil roundworms. If not managed properly, nematodes can result in total crop loss and make entire fieldsunfit for agriculture in general. Vegetables and strawberries are critical for Florida's economy and without proper nematode management these crops cannot be grown profitably.Broad-spectrum soil fumigants, such as methyl bromide, have been used for decadesto manage nematodes,as well as other soilborne pests, diseases and weeds. However, with the ban onmethyl bromide now complete, andfumigants that replaced methyl bromide not providing the same level of control,nematode problems in Florida have become much moreproblematic.In addition, there isincreasing pressure fromregulatorsand concerned citizenson the use of currentsoil fumigantsdue to fearofhumanexposure and environmental hazards. Because of this, it is imperative that we developnew and safer methods to manage nematodes.There can beno doubt that societal and regulatory pressure on agriculture will increase, and that soil fumigation, the #1nematode control tactic in Florida,will face increasingchallengesin thefuture. For the first time in roughly 40 years anew class of much more selective andsafer nematicidesisabout to become available to growers in Florida. These new products need to be evaluatedand comparedwith the existing (fumigant) products. However, as thenew products are strictlynematicides, they will need to be combinedwith additionaldisease and weed control products/strategies in order to provideviablealternatives to soil fumigants. This requires an integrated and collaborative approach, not just among academics, but also with growers and private industry.Other strategiesthat can be integrated in the new nematode managementsystems arenon-host crops that can be planted afterthe major crops, nematode-resistant cultivars (available fortomato), and soil amendments that could improve overall soil health and make soils more suppressive to build-up of damaging nematodes.Theultimate goalofthe project is to developand implement improved nematode management strategies and to keepFlorida's agriculture future viable and sustainable.
Animal Health Component
35%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
35%
Applied
35%
Developmental
30%
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to develop more sustainable nematode management strategies for Florida agriculture. The major objectives are:1) Evaluate new and upcoming more selective and safernematicides (chemical and biological) formajor crops in Florida (vegetables and strawberries primarily); develop high-throughput nematicide screening capacity at GCREC, potentially collaborating with otherdepartments (chemistry, botany, ...)to discover and patent new nematicide actives (chemical andnatural products)2) Optimizecurrent chemical fumigant practices (placement, delivery, integration with non-fumigants) and evaluate potential of non-chemical fumigant alternatives (biofumigation, anaerobic soil disinfestation, solarization)in vegetables and strawberries3) Explore cultural management options for nematode control (such as trap and non-host cover crops, bed geometry, tillage) 4) Collaborate with breeding programsto identify and evaluate nematode-resistant crop cultivars4) Increase overall knowledge of nematode biology in Florida soils (distribution, survival, movement, spread), focusing on the two major nematode pests, root-knot and sting nematodes5) Develop a better understanding ofsoil suppressiveness and if andhow overall soil health could reduce reliance on current fumigation practices6) Build new nematology infrastructure (lab, greenhouse, field plots) and nematology competencyat GCREC, which is instrumental to achieving the previous goals; ultimately the goal is to build an internationally recognized nematology program that will help educate students and growers in Florida on the importance of nematodes in agriculture
Project Methods
The project will be conducted using proper experimental designs and methodologies. All trials will be replicated, conducted in a safe and scientific manner, data collected and analyzed using standard scientific procedures.Laboratory and greenhouse screening assays will be developed and implemented. Microplot infrastructure will be installed at GCREC, as well as nematode field plots at the GCREC farm. Focus will be on studying root-knot and sting nematodes, the two major nematode pests in Florida. Nematode field populationsare typically highly variable and unpredictableand proper and adequate replication is therefore critical.The resultingknowledge will be disseminated to people through classroom and laboratory instruction, development of curriculum or innovative teaching methodologies,workshops,experiential learning opportunities,extension and outreach.Key milestones and measurables to evaluate the success of the project will be level of adoption of new nematode management strategies by growers, attendance at nematology workshops, number of publications /reports written and number of students trained.