Organic amendments of soil as useful tools of plant parasitic nematodes control

Abstract Use of organic soil amendments is a traditional agricultural practice for improving physical and chemical soil properties, soil structure, temperature and humidity conditions as well as nutrients content which are needful for plants growth. Application of organic materials to soil can cause a change in soil microflora and microfauna including soil nematodes. Nematodes, are the most ample and varied group of soil fauna. They are ever-present habitants of all soil types with high population densities. The changes in soil nematodofauna can results in an increase in the number of beneficial nematodes such as bacterial or fungal feeders and decrease and/or suppression in the occurrence of economically important plant parasitic nematodes. A variety of organic amendments, such as animal and green manure, undecomposed (raw) or decomposed materials (compost) are used for this purpose. Generally, plant parasitic nematodes have been controlled mainly by chemical soil fumigants and nematicides, agricultural practices or resistant cultivars. However, organic amendments can provide an environmentally friendly alternative to the use of chemical nematicides, which are often expensive, of limited availability in many developing countries and above all environmentally hazardous.