Control of Meloidogyne graminicola a Root-Knot Nematode Using Rice Plants as Trap Crops: Preliminary Results

Meloidogyne graminicola is one of the most harmful organisms in rice cultivation throughout the world. This pest was detected for the first time in mainland Europe (Northern Italy) in 2016 and was subsequently added to the EPPO Alert List. To date, few methods are available for the control of M. graminicola and new solutions are required. In 2019, field trials using rice plants as trap crops were performed in a Lombardy region rice field where five plots for three different management approaches were staked out: (i) Uncultivated; (ii) Treated: three separate cycles of rice production where plants were sown and destroyed each time at the second leaf stage; (iii) Control: rice was sown and left to grow until the end of the three cycles in treated plots. The results showed that in the treated plots, the nematode density and the root gall index were lower than for the other two management approaches. Moreover, the plant population density and rice plant growth were higher than the uncultivated and control plots. In conclusion, the use of the trap crop technique for the control of M. graminicola gave good results and thus it could be a new phytosanitary measure to control this pest in rice crop areas.