Perspective Chapter: Capitalizing on the Host Suitability of Brassica Biofumigant Crops to Root-Knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in Agroecosystems - A Review on the Factors Affecting Biofumigation

Abstract

The use of brassica biofumigant crops for the management of plant-parasitic nematodes in agroecosystems has been extensively studied. However, the effects of biofumigation against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) remain inconsistent, owing to the factors including but not limited to biofumigant crops, edaphic factors, termination methods, cultural practices, and sensitivity of Meloidogyne life stages to biofumigation. This review chapter argues that ‘host suitability’ or the susceptibility of biofumigant brassica crops, which is often considered an important management challenge, could in actuality maximize the performance of biofumigation against Meloidogyne. Each of these factors has been reviewed with an emphasis on the host’s suitability as an opportunity to capitalize on to maximize the biofumigation effect. This can be achieved by synchronizing the termination time in relation to the nematode development and Meloidogyne degree-days. The logic is that the cultivation of susceptible biofumigant crops would stimulate Meloidogyne egg hatch and the resulting infective juveniles would be at the most vulnerable stage to biofumigation kill. From a plethora of published research and a myriad of information available on biofumigation, and integration with host suitability, it trickled down to six steps as necessary to maximize biofumigation effects to successfully manage Meloidogyne spp. in agroecosystems.