Biological control of Pratylenchus brachyurus in soya bean crops

The aim of the current study was to assess the activity of Purpureocillium lilacinum and Trichoderma harzianum fungi, either alone or in combination, and the use of a bioactivator to control Pratylenchus brachyurus in soya bean crops. Thus, two experiments were conducted in a greenhouse, and two were conducted in naturally infested fields. Both fungi were efficient in controlling the nematode when they were applied alone, whereas the combination of the two did not improve nematode control. However, the addition of a bioactivator (moss) to the combination of fungi (P.lilacinum+T.harzianum+moss) generally promoted better control of the nematode in the greenhouse, with a reduction in the total abundance of the nematode ranging from 57.1% to 73.75%, and under field conditions, with a reduction ranging from 55.5% to 72.0%. The same treatment increased yield in both field experiments, but the treatment with T.harzianum promoted greater gains in productivity, varying from 11.79% to 20.85%.