Abstract
To elucidate the source of withering and injury of trunks of young peach trees in the Hida district in Gifu prefecture, several rootstock cultivars were tested. We investigated the differences in parasitic nematode density in rhizospheric soil among species, its effects on peach growth and development, and its relationship to the occurrence of withering and injury. Among plant parasitic nematodes isolated from the soil, there was no significant relationship of Pratylenchus penetrans (Cobb) to the occurrence of withering. Criconemella rustica (Micoletzky) exhibited important inter-specific differences. For ‘Ohatsumomo’, belonging to the group with higher density, tree rootlets fell off and decreased: the incidence rate of withering and injury was higher. In contrast, the incidence rate of ‘Hida kokuhubenishidare’, belonging to the group with lower density, was lower.
