Ocorrência de fitonematóides em áreas produtoras de inhame

Abstract

Yam culture is a very important food source in the world. In Brazil, mainly in the Northeast, this crop has an important socioeconomic role. However, in addition to the low productivity, the producers are faced with several problems that affect the crop, among them, the nematode attack in the tubers. Thus, the objective of this work was to survey the population of phytonematodes in rural properties, in the municipality of Maragojipe, in the Recôncavo of Bahia and its relation with crop rotation. For this, soil samples were collected in twelve properties with a history of the black bark of the yam, constituting twelve treatments with three replicates. The nematode extraction was performed according to a methodology described by Jenkins (1964) adapted and the quantification of phytonematodes was performed by means of observation and counting under a microscope. After the data collection, they were submitted to statistical analysis by the Tukey test at 5% probability. To group the properties at infestation levels the data were submitted to the Skott Knott test. Nematodes were found in all sampled properties. In addition, there was a significant difference in infestation between the properties. The nematode number means were grouped into four levels of infestation. By means of the χ2 association test, there was an association between the adoption of crop rotation and phytonematode infestation level (χ2 = 10.21; p = 0.11). However, the properties that made use of rotation with cassava had a moderate to low population of phytonematodes, while those that used maize as a crop rotation had a low population of phytonematodes. Therefore, the adoption of crop rotation is characterized as an efficient method for the control of phytonematodes in yam cultivation.