Relationships between soil penetration resistance and soil nematode burden in barley on Prince Edward Island

Fifty sloping fields of barley with different short-term cropping histories across Prince Edward Island were examined for variations in root-zone depth and the severity of soil parasitic nematodes as part of a wider study of relationships between cropping sequence, topographic position, soil physical conditions and crop performance. Root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans) density in the roots was significantly greater (13%) at foot slopes than at top slopes, and stunt nematode (Tylenchorhynchus spp.) was significantly greater (8%) at top slopes where the soil was drier. The density of stunt nematodes and root lesion nematodes in the soil was significantly greater (>15%) under miscellaneous cereals-barley sequences than under potato-barley or hay-barley, attributable to level of carryover. Root lesion nematode density in the roots was significantly greater (12%) under hay-barley than either of the other two sequences. This nematode also showed a strong tendency to increase in number with increasing root-zone depth, and may be explained on the basis that increased root-zone depth provides increased host root mass (substrate). Stunt nematodes, on the other hand, increased with decreasing root-zone depth and may be explained by the known propensity of these organisms for drier, shallower soil conditions.