Effect of vermicompost application on the movement of second stage juveniles of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in soil

The movement of plant-parasitic nematodes in soil is influenced by the soil environment and the microorganisms present in it, and soil conditions affect disease incident. The objective of this study was to investigate the movement of second-stage juveniles of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita 18 weeks after incubation with vermicompost, under constant saturation flow 24 and 72 hours after addition of the nematodes. The test was conducted as a factorial experiment with a randomized complete block design in three replicates. The nematodes were extracted by the tray method and then counted. The results showed that 24 hours after nematode injection into the control soil, the highest population of nematodes was observed at the injection site and the nematodes moved more toward the water flow. At 72 hours after injection, a higher percentage of them moved and the nematode population decreased at the injection site (1.52%). Also, in the soil treated with vermicompost for 18 weeks, nematodes moved both in and against the direction of water flow 24 hours after injection and were distributed in all points of the column. The highest rate of nematode movement was observed at point (-4) at 14%. At 72 hours after injection, the nematodes were also very evenly distributed throughout the column and the number of nematodes that entered the wastewater was higher.