Coffee Root-knot Nematode - Management

Management

The first thing recommendation to control the gall nematodes is to plant healthy seeds in area not infested. Nematode-free seeds are important to avoid disseminating the pathogen to other areas. However, if areas are already contaminated, other measures will be needed. Some nematicides are still applied to stop J2 from infecting coffee plants. However, due phytotoxicity and high value their use became unpractical. Thus, new cultural methods started to be applied such as irrigation control, remove diseased plants, spacing rows and others not as common. M. exigua can survive for six months without the host, while M. coffeicola just survive for few days or weeks. Thus, not planting host plants for a period greater than six months can eradicate both plant feeders. Grafting is another method applied to control Meloidogyne species that attacks coffee. Resistant varieties are used as a support (stock) such Apoatã, which will provide nutrients to the other variety on the top (scion) such Mundo Novo, that will be the one with flower and coffee fruit production. It is an easier method, that does not harm the environment. Other cultivar that is used to control M. exigua is IAPAR 59. It carries Mex-1 resistance gene, that causes Hypersensitive Response (HR) in the plant, also having low reproductive factor to M. exigua. This is a competitive variety with good agronomic factors.