There are many situations in the vegetable industry where crops are planted into fields where the root-knot nematode population is too low to cause yield losses. However, in the absence of a nematode monitoring program, growers are not aware that there is little risk of damage and will often fumigate the soil or apply a nematicide. Thus, many vegetable growers are using costly fumigants and nematicides unnecessarily.
In this booklet, a more rational approach to nematode management is advocated. Nematode populations are monitored routinely, a range of cultural practices are put in place to reduce populations to relatively low levels and chemical treatments are only used if these practices do not achieve the desired result.
