Susceptibility of seven strawberry cultivars to Belonolaimus longicaudatus and interaction with Phytophthora cactorum

What is it about?

Sting nematode and Phytophthora crown rot (a fungus) are pathogens that affect strawberry production in Florida. Yet, no studies have evaluated possible interactions between these two organisms. Seven strawberry cultivars were tested in conjunction with sting nematode and Phytophthora crown rot to determine how strawberry yield, root length, canopy, and root and shoot weight were affected. The goal was to determine if and how these two pathogens interact under greenhouse conditions to aid growers in selecting vigorous transplants for strawberry production. We showed that an antagonistic interaction occurred between the two pathogens in which the presence of Phytophthora crown rot significantly decreased the population density of sting nematode in susceptible, moderately resistant, and resistant strawberry cultivars.

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