Suppression of plant parasitic nematodes in pastoral soils amended with chitin

Abstract

White clover and perennial ryegrass plants were grown in pots containing a sandy soil amended with chitin Soil nematode numbers were examined after 6 weeks of plant growth Amendment with chitin significantly reduced the abundance of Heterodera trifolii in white clover roots and Pratylenchus sp in perennial ryegrass roots Abundance of Paratrichodorus minor was significantly reduced by chitin amendment compared to unamended controls The total nematode fauna responded to chitin amendment with large increases in abundance