Nematode Testing Symptoms of Nematode Damage
Nematode damage can vary depending on the crop, age of the crop and plant part affected.
Classic Symptoms Include: - Root Knots or galls
- Stunted growth
- Excessive root branching
- Lesions on roots
- Leaf stem or flower damage
Nematode susceptibility:
| Alfalfa | Root knot, Stem, Lesion | | Beets | Root knot, Cyst | | Bulb crops | Root knot, Stem | | Corn | Root knot, Stubby root, Lesion | | Grapes | Dagger, Ring | | Mint | Root knot, Lesion, Pin | | Peas | Root knot, Cyst | | Potato | Root knot, Stubby root, Lesion | | Raspberries | Root knot, Lesion | | Wheat | Root knot, Lesion |
Nematode Sampling
- Soil must be moist
- Sample size minimum of 1/2 soil bag. (If both nematodes and fertility are to be tested, soil bag must be full)
- Keep sample cool
Sampling hints:
Because nematode populations tend to be spotty and not uniformly distributed in a field, the more cores taken in an area the better the analysis results. If possible, sample to a depth of 12 inches and include small feeder roots in the samples.
Take a minimum of 30 cores for a given sample.
Sub samples in a field should be taken from areas with different crop histories. For example, a field planted to 1/2 alfalfa and 1/2 corn must have samples collected from each half.
Large fields should be quartered and samples collected from each quarter. Please be sure not to freeze or over-heat samples destined for nematode anslysis
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