EVALUATION OF FOSTHIAZATE (NEMATHORIN®10G) FOR THE CONTROL OF NEMATODES IN BANANA FIELDS IN MARTINIQUE

Chabrier, C., J. Hubervic and P. Queneherve. 2002. Evaluation of fosthiazate (Nemathorin® 10G) for the control of nematodes in banana fields in Martinique. Nematropica 32:137-147. The effectiveness of fosthiazate (Nemathorin® 10G) was evaluated on bananas against plant-parasitic nematodes and black weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus , in four field trials in Martinique. In the first trial, two rates of fosthiazate (2.0 and 3.0 g a.i./mat) were compared with aldicarb (Temik® 10G), applied at 2.0 g a.i./mat. In the three other studies, fosthiazate, at 1.5 and 2.0 g a.i./mat applied 3 times per year, was compared with alternate applications of 3 reference nematicides: cadusafos (3.0 g a.i./mat), aldicarb (2.0 g a.i./mat) and fenamifos (3.0 g a.i./mat). A non treated check was included in all 4 experiments. Trials 3 and 4 had high levels of weevil so a standard insecticide vs. banana weevil, fipronil (0.2 g a.i./mat), was applied on the check plots. The burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis , was the dominant nematode species, followed by the spiral nematode Helicotylenchus multicinctus in trials 1, 3 and 4 whereas root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp . , dominated the nematofauna in trial 2 and were present at all sites. The lance nematode, Hoplolaimus seinhorsti , was only important on trial 2. Fosthiazate was as effective as the standard nematicides in trials 1 and 2 and significantly more effective in trials 3 and 4 against the burrowing nematode, R. similis . Few differences were observed in the control of H. multicinctus whereas both rates of fosthiazate significantly reduced infection by Meloidogyne spp. and H. seinhorsti . Fosthiazate was as effective against C. sordidus as fipronil. Fosthiazate treatments increased banana yields up to 35% compared to check plots by preventing toppling-over.