Control of the burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis Cobb) on banana:: impact of the banana field destruction method on the efficiency of the following fallow

Nematode control in the large commercial banana plantations is currently based on the application of two to four nematicide treatments per year. These repeated pesticide applications lead to many drawbacks in terms of toxicity both for the applicators and for the environment. In Martinique (French West Indies) during the last 10 year, an alternative culture system based on the previous cleanup of lands contaminated by plant-parasitic nematodes (mainly the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis), by way of either a fallow period or an appropriate crop rotation before planting with nematode-free banana vitroplants, has been set up. However, a simple natural fallow period is often not sufficient to eliminate the burrowing nematodes and to clean the land properly. Several factors have to be considered, such as the efficiency of the destruction of the old banana plants and the evolution of the flora susceptible to R. similis. In this study, we compared the chemical destruction of banana plants by an injection of glyphosate in the pseudo-stems to the usual mechanical destruction using a spading-machine. The application of this technique strongly improved the benefits of the successive fallow (only 12.2% of R. similis infested plants compared to 76% after mechanical destruction) with a gain of 14% and 29% (first and second production cycle) of output in ton per hectare with no application of nematicide. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.