Nematode Updates - Corn Parasitic Nematodes

 

This has been a cool and wet spring so condition must be right for the needle nematode to cause damage to corn grown in sandy soils.

 

Needle nematodes, the most yield-limiting nematodes in corn. It needs a cool and wet condition to cause problems in corn. But some other nematodes, like lance and lesion nematodes, do not require those conditions to be a problem. This time of the year these nematodes are looking for food and they are eager to attack young corn roots. So if condition is right in your area, cool, wet and sandy soil, needle nematodes could be a problem this year. If you have had problems on corn before, and weather conditions is in the nematodes’ favor, you might consider sampling for nematodes. In this case, you may wish to send the entire root system with adjacent soil to the Nematology Laboratory, address below, at Purdue University for analysis. Samples must be kept cool and prevented from drying. The best time to sample for needle nematodes is 4-6 weeks after germination.

 

Under high nematode pressure, roots do not develop normally. The roots are truncated and resemble herbicide injury. Similar symptoms are present where lance nematodes are causing a problem. Lesion nematodes, however, will not cause the described root symptoms. But, symptoms for most plant parasitic nematodes are usually in patches and do not follow a uniform pattern in the field.

 

Often needle nematodes disappear when soil temperature rises above 85°F. So the best time to sample for needle nematode is now. You can sample for other corn parasitic nematodes through out the growing season.

 

You have to observe whether conditions that are favorable to needle nematodes and enable them to cause yield loss. These conditions are specific to needle nematodes and do not apply to lance and lesion nematodes. The latter species feed throughout the season and they could be a problem in all types of soils and weather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?