Integrated soil management in the fight against nematodes

Added on 23 May 2022

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Integrated soil management in the fight against nematodes

To make the cultivation of flower bulbs more sustainable, not only is virus-free starting material necessary; the open ground in which the bulbs grow after propagation must also be clean. Integrated management of that land is essential for this. A complicating factor here is that the land is often rented. The project 'PPS Bulbs@ Soil & Aaltjes: Integrated approach' is working on a methodology to improve the soil sustainably, so that nematodes in particular no longer have a chance.

In this project there is a broad collaboration between Wageningen University & Research (WUR), knowledge institutions, Greenports, sector organizations (flower bulbs and arable farming), education and advisors/suppliers.

Method

Based on the Soil Quality Plan (BKP), WUR is developing a method with which bulb growers can improve the soil sustainably, even if it concerns a leased plot. By sharing available data more widely, users of the land can make smart building plans, taking into account the problems of the plot in question. These problems are often related to nematodes, according to a bottleneck analysis of the sector.

In this project, work is being done on a methodology in which the control of nematodes is central through good cooperation between tenant and landlord. Additional research is therefore being conducted into host plant status, damage sensitivity, stem nematode control (inundation on heavy soil) and a control strategy for Trichodorides (so-called free-living nematodes). Knowledge from other studies, for example from arable farming (PPS Beter Bodem Beheer), is also implemented.