Nematode damage and management in banana in Turkey

Banana is grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and they are also cultivated in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean Region in Turkey. The present study aimed to determine the losses induced by the plant-parasitic nematodes in Anamur and Erdemli districts of Mersin Province, Turkey. Spiral nematode, Helicotylenchus multicinctus Cobb, 1893 (Tylenchida: Hoplolaimidae); root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White, 1919) and Meloidogyne javanica (Treub, 1885) (Tylenchida: Meloidogynidae) were detected in the study greenhouses. Three nematicides, oxamyl, fenamiphos and ethoprophos, were used with two or four application against these nematodes. The experiments were conducted in three replicates in four greenhouses each with nematicide treated and untreated plots. In the study, yield for each treatment was calculated for 15 plants (5 plants/replicate). Nematodes were isolated from soil and root samples with a modified Baermann funnel method and nematode counting was performed under a microscope. In banana plantations with nematode management, the yield was between 28.6 and 53.1 kg/plant and the yield increase ranged between 34 and 117%. The results suggested that use of a single control method would not be effective against these nematodes and additional control methods in integrated management should be used to control nematodes in banana plantations.