Bionematicides in sugarcane planting

ABSTRACT Biological nematicides have become the predominant treatment of sugarcane fields infested by nematodes, although there are few studies evaluating the effects of these products on this crop. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of Bacillus subtilis + Bacillus licheniformis (®Quartzo) and Pochonia chlamydosporia (®Rizotec) on nematode control and on sugarcane yield, comparing with a chemical nematicide, when applied on furrow. Eight experiments were carried on in São Paulo state, Brazil, infested areas, in which four treatments [no nematicide—control; carbosulfan 700EC 4 L·ha-1—standard treatment; B. subtilis + B. licheniformis (®Quartzo) 0.20 kg·ha-1; and P. chlamydosporia (®Rizotec) 1 kg·ha-1)] were applied on furrow. Carbosulfan was the most efficient treatment in Pratylenchus spp. control, reducing populations at least until four months after planting and contributing to average increases of 11% in yield. P. chlamydosporia reduced populations of Pratylenchus spp. four months after planting and promoted a productivity increase of 6% in relation to the control. The treatment with B. subtilis + B. licheniformis was less effective in nematodes control than the other treatments, and the plots treated with this biological product produced 5% more than check.