Globodera pallida control efficacy of the trap crop "Potemon" cultivation after wheat harvest

Abstract

"Potemon", a cultivar of Solanum peruvianum and closely related species to tomato, is an effective trap crop for the control of potato cyst nematodes. It has been used for official control of Globodera pallida (Gp) present in the Okhotsk region of Hokkaido, Japan, with high efficacy. However, taking a break from growing profitable crops to grow the trap crop has had a significant impact on agricultural production. Therefore, we examined the possibility of Gp control by cultivation of “Potemon” from mid-August to October after the wheat harvest, when no profitable crops are grown. The growth of “Potemon” sown mid-August was poorer than that sown mid-June. In some cases, the effect of density reduction was slightly lower because of shortened growing period caused by adverse weather conditions such as early frost. However, Gp density decreased to 28.2% of initial density on average, with a significant difference from fallow. This study showed that postwheat cultivation of “Potemon” is a promising cultivation system that can reduce the density of Gp.