Cover crops remain a cost effective way of managing nematodes in Florida. That was a message touted by Johan Desaeger, assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, at the recent Florida Citrus Show in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Desaeger updated attendees about management for root-knot nematodes. The “most practical way” is to produce non-host cover crops to reduce populations.
“It’s not only about maximizing yields anymore, it’s about reducing inputs,” Desaeger said. “Growing a cover crop in the summer or offseason, the cover crop seed is cheap. You’ve just got to get it established and it has a lot of benefits.”…