Biological Control of Plant-parasitic Nematodes : Soil Ecosystem Management in Sustainable Agriculture

This book is subdivided into six sections. After an initial introductory chapter, the second section covers the soil environment and the organisms that live in soil, and how they are influenced by plants and farming systems. The third and fourth sections deal with the natural enemies of nematodes (parasitic and predatory fungi, invertebrate predators, bacterial parasites and viruses), and a diverse range of fungal and bacterial symbionts that have the capacity to interfere in some way with nematode development. Methods of reducing populations of plant-parasitic nematodes through biological means are discussed in the fifth section, with a particular focus on a concept referred to as 'integrated soil biology management'. The final section summarizes the main points made in the book, and offers some suggestions on priorities for future research. It also includes a chapter that encourages advisors and practitioners to think about the biological status of their soils, and provides guidelines on how soil biological processes can be utilized to reduce losses from nematode pests. Available In Print Cover 1 Contents 6 Foreword 16 Preface 20 Acknowledgements 24 SECTION I: SETTING THE SCENE 26 1 Ecosystem Services and the Concept of ‘Integrated Soil Biology Management’ 28 Agriculture from an Ecological Perspective 28 Biotic Interactions within the Soil Food Web 29 Biological Control of Plant-parasitic Nematodes 30 Sustainable Agriculture 31 Soil Health 32 The Rise of Conservation Agriculture 32 Biological Control of Nematodes: Current Status and the Way Forward 32 Integrated Soil Biology Management 34 Transferring Ecological Knowledge into Practical Outcomes 35 SECTION II: THE SOIL ENVIRONMENT, SOIL ECOLOGY, SOIL HEALTH AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 38 2 The Soil Environment and the Soil–Root Interface 40 The Process of Soil Formation and the Composition of Soil 41 Impact of Organic Matter on Soil Properties 44 The Soil Environment and Its Impact on Nematodes and Other Soil Organisms 48 The Soil–Root Interface 52 Implications for Biological Control 68 3 The Soil Food Web and the Soil Nematode Community 73 Major Groups of Organisms in Soil 73 Structure of the Soil Food Web 75 Impact of Land Management on Energy Channels within the Soil Food Web 77 Interactions within the Soil Food Web 80 Regulation of Populations by Resource Supply and Predation 81 Impacts of the Soil Food Web on Ecosystem Processes: Storage and Cycling of Nutrients 82 The Soil Nematode Community 84 Implications for Biological Control 96 4 Global Food Security, Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture 102 Global Food Security 102 Sustainable Farming Systems 103 Soil Health 106 Ecological Knowledge, Biotic Interactions and Agricultural Management 115 Integrated Soil Biology Management 118 Ecologically Based Management Systems and the Role of Farmers 120 Implications for Biological Control 121 SECTION III: NATURAL ENEMIES OF NEMATODES 124 5 Nematophagous Fungi and Oomycetes 126 Taxonomy, Infection Mechanisms, General Biology and Ecology 127 Fungal–Nematode Interactions in Soil 152 Nematophagous Fungi as Agents for Suppressing Nematode Populations 156 Maximizing the Predacious Activity of Nematophagous Fungi in Agricultural Soils 177 6 Nematodes, Mites and Collembola as Predators of Nematodes, and the Role of Generalist Predators 182 Predatory Nematodes 182 Microarthropods as Predators of Nematodes 196 Miscellaneous Predators of Nematodes 206 Generalist Predators as Suppressive Agents 207 Concluding Remarks 210 7 Obligate Parasites of Nematodes: Viruses and Bacteria in the Genus Pasteuria 218 Viral Infectious Agents of Nematodes 218 Bacteria in the Genus Pasteuria 219 Pasteuria penetrans: A Parasite of Root-knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) 221 Pasteuria as a Parasite of Cyst Nematodes (Heterodera and Globodera spp.) 235 Candidatus Pasteuria usgae Parasitic on Sting Nematode (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) 237 Pasteuria as a Parasite of Other Plant-parasitic and Free-living Nematodes 241 Concluding Remarks 245 SECTION IV: PLANT–MICROBIAL SYMBIONT–NEMATODE INTERACTIONS 248 8 Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Endophytic Fungi, Bacterial Endophytes and Plant Growth-promoting Rhizobacteria 250 Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi 250 Endophytic Fungi 259 Bacterial Endophytes and Rhizosphere-inhabiting Bacteria 264 Root-associated Symbionts: Only One Component of the Rhizosphere Microbiome 275 SECTION V: NATURAL SUPPRESSION AND INUNDATIVE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL 278 9 Suppression of Nematodes and Other Soilborne Pathogens with Organic Amendments 280 Organic Matter-mediated Suppressiveness for Managing Soilborne Diseases 281 Organic Matter-mediated Suppressiveness to Plant-parasitic Nematodes 287 10 Specific Suppression of Plant-parasitic Nematodes 305 The Role of Fungi and Oomycetes in the Decline of Heterodera avenae 305 Parasitism of Meloidogyne spp. on Peach by Brachyphoris oviparasitica 311 Suppression of Heterodera schachtii by Brachyphoris oviparasitica and Other Fungi 312 Parasitism of Mesocriconema xenoplax and Heterodera spp. by Hirsutella rhossiliensis 313 Decline of Heterodera glycines and the Possible Role of Egg-parasitic Fungi 315 Suppression of Root-knot Nematode by Pochonia chlamydosporia and Other Organisms 317 Suppression of Heterodera glycines and Sudden Death Syndrome of Soybean 318 Suppression of Root-knot Nematodes by Pasteuria penetrans 319 Suppression of Heterodera glycines by Pasteuria nishizawae 322 Management Options to Enhance Specific Suppressiveness 323 Making Better Use of Natural Control: The Way Forward 326 11 Integrated Soil Biology Management: The Pathway to Enhanced Natural Suppression of Plant-parasitic Nematodes 329 Assessing Soils for Suppressiveness to Plant-parasitic Nematodes 330 Modifying Farming Systems to Enhance Suppressiveness 333 Organic Matter Management: The Key to General Suppressiveness 334 Impact of Management on Specific Suppressiveness 339 Integrated Nematode Management or Integrated Soil Biology Management? 340 Integrated Soil Biology Management in Various Farming Systems: The Pathway to Enhanced Suppressiveness 342 Impediments to the Development and Adoption of Farming Systems that Improve Soil Health and Enhance Suppressiveness 362 Sustainable Weed Management Systems for Minimum-till Agriculture: A Priority for Research 363 The Way Forward: A Farming Systems Approach to Managing Nematodes 364 12 Biological Products for Nematode Management 367 Experimental Methods 368 General Soil Biostasis and the Fate of Introduced Organisms 369 Monitoring Introduced Biological Control Agents 373 Commercial Implementation of Biological Control 375 Inundative Biological Control of Nematodes: An Assessment of Progress with a Diverse Range of Potentially Useful Organisms 376 Combinations of Biocontrol Agents 408 The Role of Organic Amendments in Enhancing the Performance of Biological Products for Nematode Control 410 Inundative Biological Control as a Component of Integrated Nematode Management 411 Summary and Conclusions 412 SECTION VI: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, PRACTICAL GUIDELINES AND FUTURE RESEARCH 416 13 Biological Control as a Component of Integrated Nematode Management: The Way Forward 418 Ecosystem Services Provided by the Soil Biological Community, and the Key Role of Organic Matter 419 Farming Systems to Improve Soil Health and Sustainability 419 Will Suppressiveness be Enhanced by Modifying the Farming System? 420 The Role of Inundative and Inoculative Biological Control 423 Moving from Theory to Practice: Issues Requiring Attention 423 Concluding Remarks 431 14 A Practical Guide to Improving Soil Health and Enhancing Suppressiveness to Nematode Pests 433 Sustainable Agriculture and its Ecological Basis 433 A Guide to Improving Soil Health and Minimizing Losses from Soilborne Diseases 440 Biological Control of Nematodes: One of Many Important Ecosystem Services 442 Nematode Management within Sustainable Farming Systems 445 Questions Related to Soil Health, Soil Organic Matter and Nematode Management 450 Useful Information on Soil Health 452 References 454 Index of Soil Organisms by Genus and Species 520 A 520 B 520 C 521 D 521 E 521 F 521 G 521 H 522 I 522 K 522 L 522 M 522 N 523 O 523 P 523 R 524 S 524 T 524 U 525 V 525 W 525 X 525 Z 525 General Index 526 A 526 B 527 C 528 D 529 E 529 F 529 G 530 H 530 I 530 L 531 M 531 N 531 O 532 P 532 Q 533 R 533 S 534 T 535 U 535 V 535 W 535 X 535 Y 535 Z 535 Chapter: 1 (Page no: 3) Ecosystem services and the concept of 'integrated soil biology management'. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 2 (Page no: 15) The soil environment and the soil-root interface. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 3 (Page no: 48) The soil food web and the soil nematode community. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 4 (Page no: 77) Global food security, soil health and sustainable agriculture. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 5 (Page no: 101) Nematophagous fungi and oomycetes. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 6 (Page no: 157) Nematodes, mites and Collembola as predators of nematodes, and the role of generalist predators. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 7 (Page no: 193) Obligate parasites of nematodes: viruses and bacteria in the genus Pasteuria. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 8 (Page no: 225) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, endophytic fungi, bacterial endophytes and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 9 (Page no: 255) Suppression of nematodes and other soilborne pathogens with organic amendments. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 10 (Page no: 280) Specific suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 11 (Page no: 304) Integrated soil biology management: the pathway to enhanced natural suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 12 (Page no: 342) Biological products for nematode management. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 13 (Page no: 393) Biological control as a component of integrated nematode management: the way forward. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Chapter: 14 (Page no: 408) A practical guide to improving soil health and enhancing suppressiveness to nematode pests. Author(s): Stirling, G. R. Plant-parasitic nematodes are one of multiple causes of soil-related sub-optimal crop performance. This book integrates soil health and sustainable agriculture with nematode ecology and suppressive services provided by the soil food web to provide holistic solutions. Biological control is an important component of all nematode management programmes, and with a particular focus on integrated soil biology management, this book describes tools available to farmers to enhance the activity of natural enemies, and utilize soil biological processes to reduce losses from nematodes. This book integrates soil health, sustainable agriculture, nematode ecology and suppressive services provided by the soil food web to provide holistic solutions. With particular focus on integrated soil biology management, it describes how to enhance the activity of natural enemies and use soil biological processes to reduce losses from nematodes.