Root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans) mitigation through application of oligo-chitin and Ascophyllum nodosum extract in the soil prior to seeding red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.)

Abstract

Root lesion nematodes (RLN) are a major pest in agriculture with no effective mitigation strategy. This research assessed the effect of a soil drench with chitin or Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) on RLN infection and compared RLN abundance among varieties of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.). ANE and chitin treatments both resulted in lower populations of RLN/g dry root than the control; ANE had the lowest RLN population at 5185 RLN/g dry root, 30% less than the control. Red clover varieties (3877/g) had lower RLN abundance than birdsfoot trefoil cultivars (11276/g). TRC12-156, a red clover bred to be high in isoflavones, had the least RLN (2088RLN/g); 63% less than TRC12-157, a low isoflavone red clover variety. These results indicate the potential for new RLN mitigation strategies through application of novel soil treatments and selection of forage species and cultivar.