Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising alternative to synthetic chemical-driven pest management methods facilitated by incorporating carbon sources into the soil, tarping the soil with plastic mulch, and irrigating to soil saturation. To evaluate the impact of ASD on southern root-knot n...

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Main Authors: Simardeep Singh, Matthew Cutulle, William Rutter, Phillip A. Wadl, Brian Ward, Churamani Khanal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/548
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author Simardeep Singh
Matthew Cutulle
William Rutter
Phillip A. Wadl
Brian Ward
Churamani Khanal
author_facet Simardeep Singh
Matthew Cutulle
William Rutter
Phillip A. Wadl
Brian Ward
Churamani Khanal
author_sort Simardeep Singh
collection DOAJ
description Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising alternative to synthetic chemical-driven pest management methods facilitated by incorporating carbon sources into the soil, tarping the soil with plastic mulch, and irrigating to soil saturation. To evaluate the impact of ASD on southern root-knot nematode [<i>Meloidogyne incognita</i> (Kofoid & White), SRKN] and yellow nutsedge (<i>Cyperus esculentus</i> L.) management in organically grown sweetpotato, greenhouse studies were conducted. The treatments were structured as a factorial of two carbon amendments [chicken manure + molasses (CM + M), and no additional carbon (control)] by 20 sweetpotato genotypes with 4 replications using a randomized complete block design. The results suggest that the microcosms receiving the carbon amendment spent the most time under anaerobic conditions (<200 mvh). Planting of sweetpotato genotypes in CM + M-treated microcosms resulted in 60–90% and 56–92% suppression of soil population and egg reproduction of SRKN as compared to no additional carbon. The application of CM + M reduced overall weed cover by 79% relative to the control. Sweetpotatoes in CM + M-treated microcosms had significantly higher dry above-ground biomass (6.8 g) as compared to the control (3.6 g). The results of this study demonstrated that ASD has the potential to manage nematodes and weeds in organic sweetpotato production systems.
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spelling doaj-art-71c33ca0ea524ef6a21d0ed8f54565a32025-08-20T03:40:42ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-02-0115354810.3390/agronomy15030548Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic SweetpotatoSimardeep Singh0Matthew Cutulle1William Rutter2Phillip A. Wadl3Brian Ward4Churamani Khanal5Coastal Research and Education Center, Clemson University, 2865 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29414, USACoastal Research and Education Center, Clemson University, 2865 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29414, USAUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC 29414, USAUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC 29414, USACoastal Research and Education Center, Clemson University, 2865 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29414, USAPlant and Environmental Sciences Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USAAnaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising alternative to synthetic chemical-driven pest management methods facilitated by incorporating carbon sources into the soil, tarping the soil with plastic mulch, and irrigating to soil saturation. To evaluate the impact of ASD on southern root-knot nematode [<i>Meloidogyne incognita</i> (Kofoid & White), SRKN] and yellow nutsedge (<i>Cyperus esculentus</i> L.) management in organically grown sweetpotato, greenhouse studies were conducted. The treatments were structured as a factorial of two carbon amendments [chicken manure + molasses (CM + M), and no additional carbon (control)] by 20 sweetpotato genotypes with 4 replications using a randomized complete block design. The results suggest that the microcosms receiving the carbon amendment spent the most time under anaerobic conditions (<200 mvh). Planting of sweetpotato genotypes in CM + M-treated microcosms resulted in 60–90% and 56–92% suppression of soil population and egg reproduction of SRKN as compared to no additional carbon. The application of CM + M reduced overall weed cover by 79% relative to the control. Sweetpotatoes in CM + M-treated microcosms had significantly higher dry above-ground biomass (6.8 g) as compared to the control (3.6 g). The results of this study demonstrated that ASD has the potential to manage nematodes and weeds in organic sweetpotato production systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/548<i>Ipomoea batatas</i>southern root-knot nematode<i>Meloidogyne incognita</i>organic sweetpotatoanaerobic soil disinfestationorganic weed management
spellingShingle Simardeep Singh
Matthew Cutulle
William Rutter
Phillip A. Wadl
Brian Ward
Churamani Khanal
Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato
Agronomy
<i>Ipomoea batatas</i>
southern root-knot nematode
<i>Meloidogyne incognita</i>
organic sweetpotato
anaerobic soil disinfestation
organic weed management
title Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato
title_full Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato
title_fullStr Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato
title_full_unstemmed Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato
title_short Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Tool for Nematode and Weed Management in Organic Sweetpotato
title_sort anaerobic soil disinfestation as a tool for nematode and weed management in organic sweetpotato
topic <i>Ipomoea batatas</i>
southern root-knot nematode
<i>Meloidogyne incognita</i>
organic sweetpotato
anaerobic soil disinfestation
organic weed management
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/548
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